A NEW SHERIFF LOGS IN TO TOWN

What do we do to him? What do we say of him? Of this nerveless solitary species. Without a shadow of doubt, he is a child of the shadows; for how else do you behold a man who castrates his home of a glowing bulb, and confesses relish? How do you espouse this? How do you? What do we do to his lingering silence? How do we decimate that shroud of mystery that percolates even the burden of sense? What do we say of his big words, and his small laughter? What enigmatic concessions lie in his forest hair? In his obstinate arguments, Bohemian thoughts, aggressive certainty? What do we say of his morose stare? What do we say of his rapid gait? Marooning the world behind his feet. What do we do this island of a boy? What do we make of him?

Here in Nigeria, I wrote this passage some months ago, as a National Youth Service Corps member in a stream of consciousness. On a camp field, in a feat of mild distress, I was defining myself. 

My name is Oyin Oludipe. I write copies for a living, but I write to live. To snatch sanity from a roguish world, I write essays, short stories, and poems; and I find a home for each in art journals around the globe. Published in over 80 of these realms, I do not then seriously imagine myself an Island, for I am thoroughly inspired by the becoming and unbecoming of human beings.

I was born on the edge of Lagos Island, in a small serene town named Epe. A riverine town that taught me the art of solitude. Till date, I shift at will between the world of persons and the world of thoughts. In one, I am a young Nigerian copywriter and award-winning poet wrestling the traffic of Lagos; and in the other, I am the stern sheriff, interrogating the noise in my head, making it confess what is hard to confess.

But I believe Prejudice is the devil of the universe. I believe it planted cracks on our earth and called them maps. I hate maps like I hate very tall fences. Maybe that is because I am not very tall; still; I do my creative thinking, standing. I love smoked Tilapia, irreverent books, and people who do not wear age like a laurel.

What else? I have dreamt of winning a Nobel, thrice. Was nominated as Young Writer of the Year by the Nigerian Writers' Awards, twice. And watched Titanic, once. 

Hi, Steemians! A new sheriff logs in to town. He is gunless, but he promises to be thoughtful.

(Thanks to my friend and associate, @olanrewaju for introducing me to this thrilling community. And thank you, everyone for having me here!)