BLACKOUTS

Ọ bụrụ na ị ma Enugu ọfuma, you'll know that the city dị rightly named. The whole town sits comfortably on hills and valleys. Wherever you look, enwe one ugwu or another pointing up ka a pregnant woman na her husband nwe afọ beer edina ani on their backs. This meant na looking up from yard anyi in the valleys of ugboghe I had a clear vision of ihe na-eme na the hills of mammy market. It also means a breathtaking view ma oku diri na abani. 

Mana more than once in a while, NEPA (mgbe ha ka bụ NEPA for real) ga-eme nke ha ji bụrụ NEPA, they'll 'take the light'. Bear in mind that na taking of light dị of two types, enwe nke bụ na ọkụ dị na the next yard or street so all you have to do bụ ichange line. Then enwezi the main one - blackout. Na blackouts, the whole twinkle of distant bulbs is snuffed out pii! Ọkụ na anyụ from mammy to ugwu Bishop Okoye n'Achiakpa to Presidential hotel to side stadium na Eastern shop. Blackouts na emecha mmadụ ofeelie so small and insignificant. I still remember how surpressing darkness blackout na-adị like it was yesterday.

Sometimes na real life we hit our own blackouts too. O menara, the little sparkles of light na adiwa alight up our views na-adiwa completely squeezed out like an orange, leaving us numb, without muse or joy or hope ma ọ bụ reason to live. The little things bụ isi sekpu ntị na any blackout - the little sparkles disappear together, the little dots of darkness na-abịa together cluster na our throat till we can't breathe, like ha achọrọ ịtọgbụ anyị. It happens and it sucks makachi.

The only thing m ga ekwu bụ ihe one of my superheroes, my mum, kwu the very first time I heard her use the word blackout. Ọ sị "ọ blackout, ọ ma nlast". No matter how long it takes, because aghọta mụ na the worst times na-adị ka eternity, just mara na ọ ga apass. Your hills and valleys ka ga adịkwa lit up with little sparkles again. You will love again. You will be loved again. Ị ka ga achị ọchị imeaniri ọzọ. Friends that will be true will come. You will be with family again. You'll be home again. Everything good will come. Nye ya time, ọ blackout, ọ ma bụ forever.

PS picture m tinyere above si from nairaland.