Scholastica

I read an article last week that said,                                                                                                                   " The walls of the hospital have heard more sincere prayers than the walls of the church."               At first, it struck me as strange — almost irreverent. But the more I thought about it, the more truth I found in that simple, powerful line. Hospitals are not just places of medicine and surgery. They are sacred grounds where human beings — stripped of all pretense — face the rawest parts of themselves. Here, there is no pretending. No performance. Only the trembling heart meeting the mystery of life and ...

 Dear Diary--- or whoever is reading this, My name is Olanma.  It means a beautiful thing- born in Imo state-where girls are raised to walk with grace, speak with fire, and glow without asking. ABU M NWAANYI IGBO , first daughter of a mother who swore I looked like a poetry in motion. funny, right? Named after beauty itself.... but I've spent most of my life trying to feel like I deserved it. A name like mine should be a crown, right? But sometimes, names are promises you grow into later OR never at all. Because the truth is, I didn't tick the boxes. Not the skin --mine was more than canvas. Not the perfect waistline or the flawless hairline. Not the smooth face people expected from a girl with a name like ''OLANMA". They said I was beautiful, but only in parts.                Beautiful, if only.              Beautiful, almost.             Beautiful, but not quite.  ...