I will never forget

the first time;

I was introduced

to poetry.

I was hooked, by the

manipulation of words

as I injected the ink

of my pen into my veins,

letting my emotions

run wild, as tears

stained my eyes,

the weight of the world,

slowly seeping away

from my grasp.

I felt free.

Words are all

I have left.

When the full moon arrives and wolves are howling, slow jam on the bedside, dancing to the fever, you slide across the river, holding ciroc like a sword, drunk on the cold like a poison. You throw away your sword, saying your crown have you receieved. The music wanes, but your bliss intensifies; I could taste the flames from your chiseled jaw, our lips slurring 'yes' in satisfaction. It feels like entering a hollow cave, but the surrounding is hustling and bustling with the echo of your breath. 

'This crown is interesting', whispers your other breath, dazzingly so. 

'You're a velvet. A good velvet.' Maybe because you've never tasted the other side of the blue; and I am only a decent velvet. 

You don't need wisdom for answers, as your tongue plastering lingering delicacies across my skin; your twisted benevolent is when you hop each side of the canyon and float above the deep sea, to dive fervently. 

'You're a good velvet.'

That's the only thing we remember. 

It's Friday already. How did that happen? It's ALL good though, as that means we get to peer into the world and words of another Proser. This week we get to find out much more about a gentleman that many of you will know very well. It's the lovely @James

P: What is your given name and your Proser username?

J: Given name: Ogungbesan Adedoyinsola James and Prose username: @James

P: Where do you live?

J: Ajegunle boundry, Lagos state, Nigeria

P: What is your occupation?

J: I am meant to be an undergraduate student in the university of Lagos, studying industrial chemistry. But I stopped going to classes. Because, my country's description of science is against a better future. Science is man and his environment. It's you and the resources you have. How can you transform those resources to benefit you, in your day to day activities? All that is done here is nothing towards that direction. I have tried to convince myself to continue, but the harder I tried, the unhappier I felt. Now, on a risky road, all I do is sit in the library every day, thinking of a way out.

P: What is your relationship with writing and how has it evolved?

J: As you may know, I started telepathing words when I was thirteen. But as an aspiring scientist. I stopped, when I began the race to enter university. Which fell short, due to the ill educational structure of my country. As a Christian, I prayed for a change. The lord instructed me to write, I have never felt so alive until I wrote those silent words from the bottom of my heart. Most of them are on my portal. Writing poems makes me appreciate science. It gives me an eccentric tour into the minds of past great scientists and much more into the behavior of man. My profile picture is a rough sketch of Nikola Tesla, from that sketch, I have written a few poems trying to inspire myself. Writing unlocks the hidden vaults in my life and explains every sub particles of its existence. It is a window into the abnormal. Writing gives excuses for lies and can break the rules that governs the truth. The difference between yesterday and today is words that have been catalogued. The future will one day be written. Just as we share our experience through writing. It is virtually impossible for me classify how writing as ministered to me. Although I have not generated any income with all I have written. The power and courage to continue writing keeps growing in me. I have God to thank for that.

P: What value does reading add to both your personal and professional life?

J: Since I began my no school campaign, I have read very little. I spend most of my time thinking. But it's definitely obvious that reading decomposes ignorance and it helps to build confidence towards practical life issues.

P: Can you describe your current literary ventures and what we can look forward to?

J: Well, I have not written a book. I began fully focused on writing, early February of this year. The best of my escapades are on Prose. I have great aspirations to be a football(soccer) player. Although, I am not in a team. I intend to write poems that will dissolve philosophers stone into the minds of those that read my poems and much more. I intend to write words that will not speak of me as an hero, but as the shadow of the moon that illuminates the night sky.

I intend to write poems or free verses. That will lead man to travel to galaxies and give them the understanding to build skyscrapers on the sun. Poems that will create wormholes into different dimensions. Yes, action written in words and words that creates actions. I want to do both in years to come

P: What do you love about TheProse.com?

J: Prose found me, on a faithful googling day. He enticed me with the dollar challenge, I am yet to grab. But I am glad to be a member because, unlike other communities I have tried in the past. The organization and structure is state of the art. Simple to navigate and the distance between you and other members is minute. The diversity of programs, very educative and inspiring. It is more than a community. It enriches the network of diverse writers. It's a pillar that will lead the present generation into another realm of writing. Thank you prose

P: Is there one book that you would recommend everybody should read before they die?

J: Brokenness by Dr D.K Olukoya

P: Do you have an unsung hero who got you into reading and/or writing?

J: No, I don't

P: Describe yourself in three words!

J: Hungry, hopeful and happy

P: Is there one quote, from a writer or otherwise, that sums you up?

J: If you do not want to be forgotten,

As soon as you're dead and rotten

Either write what is worth reading

Or do what is worth writing

Benjamin Franklin

P: Favourite music to write and/or read to?

J: I have none

P:You climb out of a time machine into a dystopian future with no books. What do you tell them?

J: I have no idea? It's practically unbelievable

P: Is there anything else you’d like us to know about you/your work/social media accounts?

J: On Twitter @masciano57 .

So there you have it. Follow and interact with him on here, as well as on Twitter where he resides as @masciano57

If you are active on Prose and want to be featured or want to someone on Prose to be featured, do please let us know. Until next time, Prosers.

The summer of 2016 has been one of upheaval. Racially-motivated killings, distrust in authority, the selective advancement of political agendas, and presidential primaries that seem to bring out the worst in everyone involved. It is a summer of uneasiness and in some cases, fear for many of us. We wonder where God is in all of this, and question why He is allowing our country to become such a mess.

We wonder if our country is under judgment because our government and our society seems to be working overtime to mock and forcibly remove all semblances of the Lord God from the lives of all Americans. We see leaders that claim the time for old and traditional values (read: traditional Christian values) is past, and that now is a time for new and innovative, inclusive standards.

In short, many of us, or at least I, feel like our country and our world is in disarray. We know that God is in control when life is good, but find it more difficult to rest in that assurance when events go south. I want to encourage you today that He is still in charge.

From a void, He created. He created the heavens and the Earth. From that earth, He created man. From man, He created woman. And from the two of them, He eventually created you and me. He was in control of things then, and is in control of them now. From disarray, this.

From the chaotic time right after September 11, 2001, He brought a country that had been divided along political lines together for a season of unity and cooperation. From disarray, this.

Imagine the feelings experienced by Jesus’ disciples when they saw him beaten and crucified. They’d seen Him walk on water, feed the masses with a few fish and loaves of bread. They’d seen him heal the sick and bring the dead back to life. You think they were in crisis? That they had doubts about what was happening? Absolutely. It took time, but eventually they saw what came from the chaos – He rose from the grave, just as He said he would. From disarray, this.

None of us knows what specifically lies ahead for our country, but God’s Word says:

“Everyone must submit to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are instituted by God.” – Romans 13:1*

Not much wiggle room in that statement is there? Pretty straightforward language, if you ask me. He who was in control in the beginning is still in control now, and will be forever.

This season will pass, and there will be consequences from it moving forward, both good and bad. How we react to this season will also carry consequences, will it not? Now, as in all seasons of life, we have a choice on how to react. Will we be peacemakers or dividers? Reactionaries or unifiers? Or will we just sit on the sidelines like a knot on a log and do nothing but judge?

The disarray we seem to be experiencing requires some type of response. Not because the Lord need us to do his job for Him, but because we need to become more like Him as we learn and grow during this time.

I would encourage us to spend a significant amount of time talking to, and more importantly listening to, the One that is in control. He will calm our fears and lead us if we are willing to be led. There is nothing beyond His control. He is God, after all.

“The Lord of Hosts has sworn: As I have planned, so it will be; as I have purposed it, so it will happen.” – Isaiah 14:24*

*Holman CSB version

www.fairlysmart.wordpress.com

In the stillness,

in the hubbub,

when I’m looking

and listening,

not noticing

or forgetting,

You always love.