Pregnant Woman

 

Image credit: Euroschool

By Ifejesu Aderibigbe

I’m a pregnant woman,

With just 9 months to deliver my baby: my academics.

3 strenuous trimesters ahead,

The first, my primary school,

The easiest, yet seemingly the most difficult of the journey.

A new system, an Herculean task, oblivious to my innocent mind, that it is just the beginning.

The easiest of it all, posing different symptoms each passing day.

Is it the morning sickness: morning assembly?

Or the teacher’s whip: sharp cramps?

Never heard of an examination.

What sort of new world is this?

A constant disturbance to my sweet normalcy.

The second trimester creeps in like a thief in the night: secondary school.

Ready to build on my illuminated mind,

I buckle down my shoes.

Morning bells, my greatest nightmare,

Now a melody in my ears.

“Readers are leaders”, so my book, my best friend.

Naivety transformed to savviness.

This trimester though more tedious, but paradoxically easier,

Getting used to the system unlike the first trimester.

Like a developing fetus, my knowledge expands,

Gaining more insight about life and my future.

Building connections and friendships,

My teacher’s words, my daily devotion,

My textbooks, my Bible.

My daily doze.

My long awaited nightmare, the third trimester: University.

The most dreaded haven, full of bitter-sweet experiences.

The ticket to achieving my dream, yet the scariest,

As one wrong decision can ruin it all.

Chasing cgpa like wifi signal,

Adulthood gradually showing it’s reality,

Our daily bread: garri, and our signature concoction,

A new way of life.

Deceptive freedom, far away from home.

Preparing to venture into the real world,

Getting equipped without actual equipment.

Running after free marks, at every slightest opportunity.

The race is not for the light-hearted.

Maturity at its peak, unavoidably.

Soaking up my dearest cassava flakes and floating berries,

To revive me at my lowest.

Although, there was time to party,

Unwind and just dance to the rhythm of fun.

“All work and no play makes jack a dull boy” after all.

Projects and deadlines, getting me on my toes.

Questionnaires flying around like posters.

Alas, my nightmare is over!

Against all odds, I delivered my baby: Graduation.

Congratulations echo on every walls.

Like a new born, I step into the real world,

Ready to face what it has to offer.

My nightmarish dream slowly fading into reality, Adulthood.

Equiped with knowledge and experience,

The world awaits my impact.

Ready to flip through each page of life.

With knowledge gained, my path is sustained