True Talk

Sitting in a train 20mins from my stop
Listening to Sarah Bareilles go on about miles and eyeing the large White man adjacent from me
He seems engrossed in his crossword and everything around me, just not me
I look at my hands and realize although I'm a nicely blend milk chocolate I'm just not white or at least biege
After all these years I still manage to fascinate them
2 days ago, an older white man sat adjacent from me and just stared
I knew he couldn't help himself so I just smiled at him and tried to mind my business
Ive been asked by my new friend from Thailand called Future, how I managed to tie my hair so tightly and why I was so shapely
I laughed my kinky loose and tried to explain to her that I was a size almost 10 and in Nigeria I wasn't what anyone will call shapely
About the tightly wound hair we couldn't really agree on the terms to use to describe it 'cos of her limited English, we settled on "Africa, we strong hair"
Politeness has taken on a new meaning for me
I never knew anyone could be as polite as the British
Between the "can I help you?" and "thank you darling" or "I'll get that sorted for you" I'm sure I'm on the wrong planet
Not to mention the smiles, urghhh
I intentionally avoid they're faces sometimes to avoid seeing those smiles
Everyone smiles . . . The smile is just waiting beyond their gums
Waiting to be let out every chance it gets
Between the trains and trekking I've learnt the difficulty of patience
Everyone walks everywhere, a 15 minutes walk is said like it is 5 minutes, oh how I miss okada
Then there is the staircase, don't get me started on how claustrophobic they are, narrow and steep
And the weather, that's a painful matter
In 5 days, I've become a shade lighter not for the lack of sunlight that perpetually succeeds in keeping me shades darker than I should be
But because the sun here has no effect whatsoever on the weather
A few times it has succeeded in making us not only see it but feel it's presence with little effect. . .sunglasses are just a fad here
As I listen to Adele love on her London, I'm thinking of writing a song of love for my Abuja
At least the weather is predictable there
It has rained twice in 5 days and they insist it's summer although we need the jackets and mufflers regularly
Apart from the beautifying of my skin by the absence of heat
And the access to all sorts of things in their originality
I miss home. . . I miss Nigeria. . . I miss family & friends
Can't get another burger down my throat 'cos I'll choke
Now I just have fun asking all sorts of questions when I get a smile
While I smile at the thought of a Nigerians reaction to my silly questions
I'm on Colbie Calliat now and we're waiting for droplets but for different reasons and it's suddenly time to wear a jacket
Oops, Bruno Mars just caught a grenade
My stop!