"A Singer's Desire: My Fill-in-the-Blank Model" The Video Version

Here is the video version of my poem "A Singer's Desire: My Fill-in-the-Blank Model." Enjoy!

"A Cinquain Poem About Lynette Chiamaka Okoroike" The Video Version

Here is the video version of my poem "A Cinquain Poem About Lynette Chiamaka Okoroike." Also known as "My Cinquain Model." Enjoy!

"I Don't Belong Here" The Video Version

Here is the video version of my poem "I Don't Belong Here." Enjoy!

"I Am The Voice" The Video Version

Here is the video version of my poem "I Am The Voice." Enjoy!

"I Care For You" The Video Version

Here is the video version of my poem "I Care For You." Enjoy!

"Guide Me Through the Storm" The Video Version

Here is the video version of my poem "Guide Me Through The Storm." Enjoy!

"Ocean Beach" The Video Version

Here is the video version of my poem "Ocean Beach." Enjoy!

"Does My Image MATTER?" The Video Version

Here is me reciting a short version of my poem "Does My Image MATTER?" Enjoy!

The Reason Behind the Poetry Performance of "We're Broken Puzzle Pieces"

The reason behind the title “We’re Broken Puzzle Pieces” is because people from all walks of life are having a very hard time trying to find their social location. They are trying the best they can to fit in with the society, no matter what region of the world it’s in, and to live up to their standards as well. They feel depressed, sad, lonely, unrecognizable, and insecure; they had felt all of these feelings and it’s all because they just got rejected or shut down by their society. Those people are all capable to join and to contribute to their society, but the society itself thinks that they are not ready to do that just yet.

            Not only that, when it comes to discussing about the current issues that we have in this world today, there are several debates, people not agreeing with each other, they are taking sides, and with that, it causes wars, battles, and fights, physical and brutal violence, shootings in public places, protests and rallies, etc. All of these things constructed destructible chaos on this planet and that’s what we’re seeing happening today. It’s up to us to fix this diabolical issue and we are capable of fixing this issue, but the problem is that we are not making any progress; we are just making it worse for all of us. We are just being lazy.

We need to come together to accept each other and to accept ourselves and our social locations that represent who we are as human beings. The society itself also needs to accept us and our social locations that represent who we are and to allow us to join their large group, even if we didn’t fit their standards or qualifications in order to be a part of that society. Also, we need to set our differences aside so that we can work together to come up with a solution that will help solve every single issue and problem that we have today in this world.

In conclusion, every single one of us human beings are just broken puzzle pieces; we are trying to piece together a better and perfect world using our own strengths, weaknesses, abilities, skills, talent, qualifications, contributions, etc. The world itself is like a large blank puzzle board and us human beings are the small puzzle pieces that will fit together to create one big jigsaw puzzle which is our beloved planet. We will continue to work together to help keep it that way because I believe that God created this world for all of us to enjoy living our happy lives here, not to make it worse so that we can live miserable lives. We are here and we exist for a purpose.  

The Reason Behind The Performance "Does My Image MATTER?"

A Ground Zero Anecdote about People Striving to be the Perfect Person with the Perfect Body Image

By mystoryographer Lynette Chiamaka Okoroike

            Throughout my entire life, my mother nags me about the importance of being healthy. I was forced to go on really long walks, runs, and jogs with her until it starts to get really out of hand. Then she introduced me to the gym. I really hate it at first and I still hate it to this day. I am NOT a gym person. Finally, she nags me about the importance of eating healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, grains, etc. as well as the importance of drinking water every day. To which, I understand. Throughout my entire life I eat healthy, I exercise, and I maintained my healthy body. When I told my mother about this, she said that it wasn’t enough. She says that I need to change it up a bit in order for me to lose a few pounds, and with that, she starts nagging at me about losing weight. That’s when I start to feel concerned and worried about my body. I started to question myself: Doesn’t my mother like my body the way it is right now? Why is she telling me to lose weight? Does she want me to be just like the women my age that I see on TV, magazines, newspapers, and ads that have beautiful, skinny bodies? Why can’t I just accept myself for the way I am when all of this is going on? Why can’t the media accept the people with different kinds of bodies not just the people with skinny and muscular bodies so that they can have a variety? Good thing that I am not alone. When people, including myself, watch TV and ads as well as reading newspapers, magazines, and ads and they see people with skinny and muscular bodies as well as seeing and hearing weight-loss success stories, that is when we start to feel really depressed about ourselves and our bodies and we start to NOT accepting ourselves for who we are in terms of our bodies. Thanks to the media, people are now striving to become the perfect person with the perfect body image by buying a lot of products such as weight-loss pills and shakes, going on diets and weight-loss programs, getting gym memberships so that they could go to the gym every day, buying at-home gym equipment such as treadmills and other exercising machines, etc. They also buy hair products, pedicure/manicure products, body hair removal creams, makeup products, skin products, etc. We are now living in a generation where the media is our boss and that he/she is telling us about what it takes to become the perfect person with the perfect body image and that we, as consumers, have to follow their rules in order to “fit” in and not stand out. If we do stand out and not follow their rules, then we become an easy target for them to make fun at us and our appearance. Maybe that’s the reason why my mother nags at me so that I can start taking care of myself. Her statements include: Fix your hair! Put on some makeup! Shave! Eat Right! Exercise! Drink Plenty of Water Every Day! Lose Some Weight! Dress like a Young Woman! In other words, she is consumed by the media and she doesn’t like my body image and she wants me to change so that I could be just like the healthy, beautiful, and attractive men and women that I see on TV, ads, newspapers, magazines, etc. Which leads me to start asking myself this prolonged question: Does My Image Matter?    

The Haikus of DWD

This poem goes out to all of you folks who grew up in the 1980s and the 1990s (including myself). This poem brings out the 80s-90s kid in all of us. Enjoy this 80s/90s flashback poem! 

The night has fallen 
Bad guys have scattered the streets 
Let’s get dangerous 

Whipped out his gas gun 
He swooped out of the shadows 
The terror that flaps 

Looks for the bad guys 
Approaches them in the distance 
Suck gas, evildoer! 

Took out his smoke bomb 
He creates his grand entrance; 
Very Determined 

He’s ready; willing 
For the villains to make their move 
Let’s get dangerous   

Fights crime all night long 
Ducks every fist-punch and kick 
He is Darkwing Duck! 

He is the victor 
At the end of every night 
The Midnight Mallard 

Champion of right 
Daring Duck of Mystery 
He is “The Duck Knight!” 

A father by day 
Then a crime fighter by night 
lives the double life. 

It’s one of the best 
Disney Afternoon shows ever. 
It’s simply the best. 


Darkwing Duck, Copyright of Disney. Est. 1991. 

Color the Feelings, Color the Moods-A Set of Cinquains

Red 
Angry Mad 
Danger Aggressive Warning 
War Violence Abuse Kill 
Blood 
Orange 
Energetic Warmth 
Strength Courage Determination 
Attraction Attention Interest Craving 
Citrus 
Yellow 
Happy Joy 
Creative Inspire Imagine 
Opportunity Optimistic Ignite Light   
Sunshine 
Green 
Envy Jealous 
Wealth Health Nature 
Greedy Nutrition Field Meadow 
Grass 
Blue 
Serenity Peace 
Cool Calm Collected 
Stream River Lake Ocean 
Water 

Indigo 
Honest Compassionate 
Drama Justice Wisdom 
Intuition Perception Addiction Meditation 
Midnight 

Violet 
Powerful Royal 
Mysterious Magical Fantasy 
Erotic Romantic Passionate Loved 
Grapes 

A Quiet Person-A Haiku

A quiet person 
sits still, and is in deep thought 
with a challenged mind.

From Dawn To Dusk-A Haiku

The light becomes dark 
One star gives way for many stars 
Good Day is Good Night.

I Need Acceptance In My Life

Even though it's a poem, treat it like it's a song. :)

oooooooooooh, 
               Oooooooooooh. (x2) 
  
               Throughout my life 
               I’m having a hard time, 
               I stumble and fall 
               And struggle through it all. 
               I’ve tried to fit in 
               But they always shut me out, 
               Is there something wrong with me? 
               Why they always put me down? 

                I need to know what’s going on 
                What’s it all about, 
                I need to have a purpose 
                That will make me stand out. 

                I need acceptance in my life 
                That will make me feel good, 
                I need acceptance in my life 
                That will put me in the best mood. 
                Acceptance in my life 
                Or someone to be loved, 
                I need acceptance in my life 
                from the Lord God above. 
                Acceptance in my life 
                Acceptance in my life 

               I want to get in on the action 
               But they never let me in, 
               Now I have a bad reaction 
               to this pleasantry sin. 
               I’m rejected and heartbroken 
               ‘cause they wouldn’t want me now, 
                I’m in desperate need of someone 
                to comfort me when I’m down. 

                I need to know what’s going on 
                What’s it all about, 
                I need to have a purpose 
                That will make me stand out. 

                I need acceptance in my life 
                That will make me feel good, 
                I need acceptance in my life 
                That will put me in the best mood. 
                Acceptance in my life 
                Or someone to be loved, 
                I need acceptance in my life 
                from the Lord God above. 
                Acceptance in my life 
                Acceptance in my life 

                I don’t want to feel left out 
                I want to put myself out there, 
                I’m sick of being alone 
                I just want a friend who cares. 
                Yeah, I want to stand out 
                I want to be recognized 
                And to be known from the world; 
                It’ll be the best thing of my life. 

                What’s the point of me trying? 
                I just know that they don’t want me. 
                I can’t take this anymore! 
                That’s not what my life’s trying to be. 
                I need some experience 
                That will help me through my life, 
                I will gain some confidence 
                That will take away my strife. 

                I need to know what’s going on 
                What’s it all about, 
                I need to have a purpose 
                That will make me stand out. 

                I need acceptance in my life 
                That will make me feel good, 
                I need acceptance in my life 
                That will put me in the best mood. 
                Acceptance in my life 
                Or someone to be loved, 
                I need acceptance in my life 
                from the Lord God above. 
                Acceptance in my life 
                Acceptance in my life (x2) 

               Acceptance in my life 
               (repeat and fade) 




                 

                 
               
                 

I Like Being Quiet

I like being quiet 
It’s what I do best 
It’s hard for me to get the things 
Off of my chest. 

I do have a lot of thoughts 
Scattered throughout my brain, 
Hard for me to convert from thoughts to phrases 
It puts me in a lot of pain. 

When I talk to people, I stumbled and jumbled 
With the things that I want to say, 
All they do is they don’t care about me 
And that keeps me at bay. 

It’s hard for me to make some friends 
For they always come and go, 
I would go from one person to another 
that I will never get to know. 

With that, I sit alone in my room 
Watching my life go by, 
Tear after tear starts dripping from my eyes 
causing me to cry. 

Sometimes, I take walks by myself 
Along the river parkway, 
And while I’m looking at nature 
My mind just ponders throughout the day. 

Writing is my alternative to talking 
I write all of my thoughts down, 
Sometimes I would get stuck 
At getting my point across 
But nonetheless, I let it all out. 

I would get into arguments with people 
With the result of me in defeat, 
It was hard for me to stand my ground 
And I can’t seem to get off of my feet. 

I would always get emotional 
‘cause they would always shut me down 
I would get interrupted all of the time; 
feeling like I’m in a deep hole in the ground. 

I like being quiet 
It’s what I do best 
I try to express myself, 
But…well…you know the rest. 

An Ode To Rejection

Rejection, Rejection, 
Oh, how that I loathe thee 
It seems to me that you are 
NOT my cup of tea. 

I have tried to fit in 
And to get in on the action, 
But you just keep coming in; 
giving me a bad reaction. 

I have applied myself 
To many aspects of life, 
You came in, ruined it, 
And you’ve given me the strife. 

From jobs, internships, applications, and auditions 
for a chance to act in the theatrical productions, 
to contests, competitions, sports games and tryouts 
Thanks to you, I’m feeling left out. 

I’ve lost the hope, I’ve lost the faith 
In any aspect that I put myself into, 
You, Rejection, are the cause of all of this 
You’ve made me feel sad and blue. 

I feel like I’m a loser 
And I’ve given up the fight 
You’ve kept me in the darkness 
I can’t seem to see the light! 

I have big dreams and goals 
Wanting to be an entertainer; 
You just set my dreams and goals aside. 
That’s a no-brainer. 

I’m depressed and lonely 
And it’s all thanks to you! 
Rejection, you’ve just made 
My nightmares come true! 

This is not what my purpose 
In life’s supposed to be, 
Rejection, please go away! 
Please let me be! 

I would hide all of my true feelings 
From my relatives, colleagues, and friends, 
Please stop this, Rejection! 
I want it to end! 

Rejection, Rejection, 
I really hate you! 
We’re breaking up and 
going our separate ways. 
I’m through with you! 

I Don't See Myself, I See Myself

I don’t see myself as a victim 
Being bullied or picked on at work or school. 
I don’t see myself as a failure 
which causes me to feel very blue. 

I don’t see myself as a miserable person 
Doing something that I don’t enjoy, 
I don’t see myself as a people pleaser 
even though it brings me some little joy. 

I don’t see myself as a villain or a sinner 
Doing the things that are wrong, 
I don’t see myself as a follower 
Learning what the leader does all day long. 

I don’t see myself as an emotional person 
Even though, and every time, I cry a lot 
I don’t see myself as a last-minute person 
But I do procrastinate right on the spot. 

I don’t see myself as average or normal 
Or that I am boring or ordinary, 
And I don’t see myself as a “nobody” 
showcasing my feelings that are not very merry. 

But I see myself as a Performer 
Living a very, active, creative life, 
Acting, Modeling, Singing, 
Playing percussion, or being poetic, 
By doing this, it will keep me from the strife. 

I see myself as a Giver 
who gives back in my hometown 
Teaching, volunteering, and lending a hand 
Is my gift to the world, when they’re feeling down. 

I see myself as a role model and a leader 
A person that everyone can look up to, 
And that leading by example 
They will do the same things as I do. 

I see myself as a happy, healthy person 
Doing the things that I love, 
And I see myself as a true Christian 
doing good deeds on Earth for the Lord God Above. 

I see myself as a human being 
That I only have one life to live, 
I want to make my mark as a “somebody;” 
That will be my only way to give. 

I see myself as LOVED, 

I see myself as STRONG, 

I see myself as BEAUTIFUL and PRETTY, 

I see myself as EXTRAORDINARY. 

I see myself as BEING WORTH IT. 

I see myself as an EXPRESSIVE CREATIVE ARTIST. 

I see myself as ACCEPTING. 

I see myself as INTELLIGENT, BRIGHT, and SMART. 

I see myself as CONFIDENT. 

I see myself as RECOGNIZABLE. 

I see myself as JUST BEING ME. 














  

An Unfixed Environment-A Haiku

The world is broken 
Filled with war, violence, debates, 
yet we still complain.

27's A Very Tragic Age-A Set of Haikus

Twenty seven years
The age where you've peaked stardom,
then you die so young.

Twenty-seven years
The age where you've peaked the fame,
then you're gone too soon.

From the DUP competition entitled "The 27 Club."

Are You OK? Talk To Me- A Haiku

What is wrong, my friend? 
Tell me what is on your mind. 
I am here for you.

Clouds

The fluffy white clouds 
in the light blue sky 
are like 
float-able light clay. 
We can take one of them down, 
mash it, mold it, fold it, 
and smooth it, 
to create new images 
and objects. 
When finished, we can put our 
new creations 
right back up in the sky 
to love, adore, admire, cherish, 
and be proud of our 
achievements. 
The sky's the limit.

What's the use of my existence in this life?

I've tried to put myself out there in this world, 
but I come up empty handed. 
It's me living the "kind-of-unworthy" life.

"The Great Citywide Pillow Fight" An Anecdote

 

The best THING
That ever happened to me was
When I was a college freshman.                          
It happened in mid-February of 2009.
Valentine's Day.
A day of celebrating a couple's
Relationship with each other,
A day of romance & companionship,
And a day to say "I love you"
to your significant other.....
While getting SMACKED
In the FACE
By a PILLOW!

I was in San Francisco
at the time.
The City by the Bay.
It was three weeks
before Valentine's Day.
Throughout the entire
San Francisco State Campus,
Hundreds of fliers
Were spread throughout
The college
Describing the big event;
That it's going to be HUGE,
That it's going to be EPIC,
And that it's going to be.....
SUPER, DUPER, FUN!!!!!

I was walking to class
The other day when
I stumbled upon
one of the fliers.
After I read the flier,
I realized that
Since I don't have a
Boyfriend to hang out
With me on that day,
And that my friends
Are too busy
Hanging out with their
Significant others
And that they don't
Have the time to
Hang out with me
On that day,
So I figured
That I MIGHT as well
Go to the event
Just to see what is like
And to pass the time
on the official day of love.

A few weeks have gone by,
I was busy counting down
The days until the big event
While going through
My daily business
as a busy college student.

FINALLY
The day of the big event
Has ARRIVED!
I WAS BEYOND EXCITED!
I CANNOT contain myself.
Instead of studying for my classes,
I did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING
during the day.

Just a couple of hours before
The start of the big event,
I GRABBED my pillow,
DASHED out of the dorms,
RAN through the college campus,
And got on the MUNI Light Rail
That will take me to the location
of the big event.
Was I alone?
Nope.

A bunch of other exciting college students
From the same college
With their own pillows
were going to the big event as well.
Along the way, more and more
Exciting people carrying their
Own pillows came on board the
MUNI Light Rail en route to the
location of the big event.

When we arrived at the location
Of the big event,
The Port of San Francisco
On the Embarcadero,
It.....was.....MADNESS!
There were tons of people
With their own pillows
Crowding the streets
And the piers
Along the Embarcadero;
They were all looking
At the Port of San Francisco
Building's clock;
Patiently waiting for the big event
to actually begin.
The anticipation was filling the air.

Then, the clock rang
Signaling for ten minutes
until the start of the event.
People everywhere were
Waving their pillows
FRANTICALLY in the air;
They were Cheering, hollering, hooting,
Howling, screaming loudly;
Making ALL kinds of sounds
to pass the time.
The clock rang once again
Signaling for five minutes
until the start of the event.
More cheering, hollering, hooting,
Howling and screaming coming
From the vastly large crowd
As well as more frantically-waving
pillows.

Finally
The moment had arrived.
DING. DING. DING.
DING. DING. DING.
The clock slowly rang six times
Signaling for the start of the six o'clock
hour.
And at the same time,
Hundreds upon hundreds
Of pillows were SMACKED
Against each other
And the feathers were
flying all over the place.
THE GREAT SAN FRANCISCO
VALENTINE'S DAY PILLOW
FIGHT HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN!!!!!

Not only was I participating in the big event,
I was too busy snapping pictures of the big
event with my cell phone.
I've captured some of the most
Memorable moments
From different angles
And from different parts
Of the Embarcadero
of the big citywide pillow fight.
All of the pictures that I've taken
During the event
Were stored into my cell phone
So that I will cherish them
And remember/reminisce them
until the end of my cell phone contract.

Then
I decided that
I should get in on the fun.
So I went down to the main scene
Of the big pillow fight,
And started looking for a group of people
To have a nice, friendly game
of pillow fighting.
Luckily, I stumbled across
A small family;
A father and his two children,
And then.....it was love at first SMACK!
We automatically started to hit each other
with our pillows.
It lasted for a good five minutes.
We are having the time of our lives!
I was having so much fun with the family.

Well,
All good things
must come to an end.
I have a great time,
I wish I could stay for a
Little bit longer, but
I need to go back to the dorms.

Overall, I would rate this event
A 10/10,
Or better yet,
A 100/100.
BEST
VALENTINE'S DAY
EVER.
I need to do this event
EVERY
SINGLE
YEAR.

Whether I'm a single lady
Or in a relationship with a boyfriend
Or just hanging out with my friends,
I will go to this event every year
And I will definitely bring my boyfriend
and my friends with me to this event.
IT DOESN'T GET MUCH BETTER THAN
THIS!

In my opinion,
Saying "I love you"
With a box of chocolates,
With flowers,
With a nice dinner and a show or movie,
Or spending quality time doing it in the
bedroom.....
is ordinary.
Saying "I love you"
While getting hit in the face by a pillow
participating in an EPIC citywide pillow
fight.....

Now THAT'S extraordinary!

Nothing
And I mean NOTHING
Says "Happy Valentine's Day"
Than a good old-fashioned
Pillow fight!