20/01/2026
Memories In My Closet
Memories live in my closet.
Not folded neatly like clothes,
but tucked away like whispers my heart refuses to throw out.
Growing up, my siblings were my first world.
My first friends.
My first audience.
We role-played entire lives together;doctors, teachers, mothers, heroes,
using imagination where freedom was limited.
We weren’t allowed to play outside like other children,
so we played within each other.
We shared everything;dreams, secrets, laughter,
even clothes that passed from one body to another
without complaint.
Once upon a time, we were all we had,
and somehow, it was enough.
My first best friend came quietly,
the kind of friendship that doesn’t announce itself
but settles gently into your life
and teaches you what loyalty feels like
before you even have words for it.
Then there were the changes;the ones no one fully prepares you for.
My first menstrual experience arrived like a shock,
confusing and heavy,
a moment that felt like loss and becoming all at once.
Fear sat with me until my mother’s voice said,
“It’s fine.”
And slowly, I believed her.
Eventually, I became a pro; life has a way of training us in what once terrified us.
There was also my first kiss.
Innocent. Sudden.
A boy my age kissed my cheek
and ran back to his compound,
leaving me standing there,
trying to understand what a kiss meant
and why my heart felt different afterward.
Then came the love letters,
paper at first,
then electronic as the world evolved.
Sailor Moon usernames, Yahoo mail, Gmail inboxes;each message carrying excitement, curiosity,
and the thrill of being noticed.
Another kiss followed,
this time less confusing,
more intentional.
I acted like I understood everything,
like I had the technical know-how,
but truly, it was my heart leading the way.
From there, womanhood quietly announced itself,
not with noise,
but with knowing.
I smile when I remember the celebrity crushes too,
how my siblings and I fought fiercely
over who would become Dwayne Johnson’s wife.🤣🤣
WrestleMania nights.
“Can you smell what The Rock is cooking?”
We could,
and apparently, we all wanted him.
There were favorite uncles and aunties,
warm laughter,
and yes, a few shadows I choose not to unpack here.
Some doors in the closet will remain closed
for a long time.
Unlike my clothes,
these memories do not grow old.
They only grow quieter,
fainter with time but never gone.
Some are treasures.
Some are lessons but all of them are mine.
And in all,
I am grateful for life, for growth and for the blessed chance each day to be better than yesterday.