The Untameable Spirit

By Uboho Bassey and Kufre Ekanem

In giving credence to the inherent power of a story to connect, unite, motivate and inspire people, the author presents to the world her third book, a Jubilee prize - to mark a golden age.

The “Untameable Spirit - A Collection of Poems” is a compilation of poetry about survival and revival. It is birthed from the recognition of the ability of mankind to overcome longstanding personal obstacles, conquering fears and rising above challenging situations. It represents the tale of a journey; the seen and sometimes unseen emotional and physical scars that life has marked us with.

A vibrant and transcendent journey of unbreakable strength and unstoppable growth; determination, resilience and healing is the storyline captured effortlessly in this book of poetry. The Collection of Poems invites you to pick up your forgotten dreams from the unclaimed spaces in your heart and the empty places where life has been barren. It speaks of empowerment and rising up to find your purpose, within yourself, for yourself and for others.

Divided into six chapters or series, “Untameable Spirit” is an odyssey of stoic courage in the face of life’s greatest challenges, mirrored in the untameable forces of nature; the elements of Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Space - slowly and relentlessly stamping its indestructibility, and reclaiming its lost powers with a courageous comeback from humiliating setback. The sixth series represents the Miracle of divine provision. And who knows what miracles you can achieve when you believe! This book of poetry is a unique manifestation of the untameable spirit in all its forms.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 11, 2019
• ISBN: 9781796052909

Uboho Bassey

The Author, Uboho Bassey is no longer a slave to those frightful fears of existence.. She has fought many wars alone, on a private battlefield strewn with pain. Unbroken, she walks confidently in the promises of God for her life, knowing and trusting that she was created to achieve divine purpose; and soaring over the limitations that once held her in bondage. She is not afraid to explore the unknown territories of the world. She is a survivor, focused and determined to redirect her life and rewrite her story. She believes that her writing creates a dialogue with people, giving meaning to emotions in contexts just like other mediums of art, music, painting, photography, sculpture, fiction or poetry. And she wants them to experience it, the rich feelings, the real language of life; expressed in our stories, in our passion and in our purpose. Her spirit is laid bare like an untameable fruitful delta, conscious daily of delivering promise. She writes to inspire others to embrace hope.

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Copyright © 2019 by Uboho Bassey.

ISBN:              Softcover              978-1-7960-5291-6

                        eBook                   978-1-7960-5290-9

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

NIV

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. [Biblica]

NKJV

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

NLT

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Website

NASB

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Rev. date: 09/11/2019

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Contents

Dedication

Preface

Foreword

Acknowledgment

PART 1

Earth Series (Practical)

1.     Untameable

2.     Could I Tell You?

3.     It Is Written!

4.     The Answer Is Yes!

5.     For Poetry

6.     The Dreamer

7.     Unveiling

8.     Fiercehearted

9.     Story Of Significance

10.   Hello September!

11.   Fortunately

12.   This Is Life!

13.   Nigeria! Prove Them Wrong

14.   I Am Ready

15.   There Is Space

16.   There Is More!

17.   Motherhood, A Pride!

18.   Justice For Ochanya

19.   I Will Speak

20.   Let Me Show You

21.   I Know When Not To Stop

22.   In The Name Of Love

23.   Failure’s Sting

24.   Licensed To Flourish

25.   The Travailing

26.   There’s No Waiting

27.   Like A Flower

28.   Grow Your Roots

29.   Roofless

30.   Freedom

31.   Wild And Free

32.   Melody Of Love

33.   It Is Here!

34.   A Thousand Yards

35.   Speak Up For Faith

36.   What Makes It True?

37.   The Scent Of Hope

PART 2

Water Series (Emotional)

38.   I Am Water

39.   Like Rivers Of Water

40.   Imagine It!

41.   Lift Up Your Eyes

42.   The Gift Of Liberty

43.   Clap Your Hands

44.   This Is Why I Pray

45.   When Does It End?

46.   Do Not Be Deceived

47.   Tales Of The Sojourner

48.   Nature’s Fury

49.   The Sisterhood

50.   The Rising Captive

51.   Year Of The Underdog

52.   There By Choice

53.   Come Fly With Me

54.   A Life Of Sustenance

55.   Wild At Heart

56.   Strong Women

57.   Walk Out: Leave And Live

58.   Our Dreams

59.   Who Told You So?

60.   For Our Young Girls

61.   I Was Born Ready

62.   Hurting Women

63.   Beyond The Walls

64.   Just Say Yes!

65.   The Universe And I

66.   All Show, No Substance

67.   Depression

68.   A New Beginning

69.   No More Blank Pages

70.   Friendship

71.   She Made It!

72.   The Promise

73.   Nothing But Losses

74.   Loose Ends

PART 3

Fire Series (Forceful)

75.   Rise

76.   The Archer

77.   Starborn

78.   Radiance

79.   It All Started With You

80.   And Then, We Were Free!

81.   The Things We Hide

82.   The Silent Woman

83.   Unpardonable

84.   How Is This To Be?

85.   More Than You Can Handle

86.   I Have Been There

87.   Steeped In Love

88.   When God Says No

89.   The Depressed Mind

90.   The Finish Line

91.   Determined Hope

92.   Errors Of Pride

93.   They Have A Voice

94.   Tell The World

95.   A Long Way To The Title

96.   Art In Nature

97.   The Broken

98.   Know Their Stories

99.   Happiness Is A Vow

100. I Don’t Belong Here

101. Forever Mine

102. I Don’t Care

103. Night Walk

104. Tears Of Freedom

105. A Faraway Beacon

106. Silence Of Time

107. Creature Of Nature

108. Seasons Of Love

109. Unfinished

110. Relationships

111. I Am The Past

PART 4

Air Series (Logical)

112. Wings

113. Closure

114. Becoming

115. The Way It Used To Be

116. The Hearthstone

117. Keep On Going

118. Bittersweet

119. When You Find Her

120. To Be Feminine

121. Life’s Unfair Beats

122. Walk Away

123. I Am Still Waiting

124. Where There Is No Love

125. A Fresh Love

126. The Lonesome Voyager

127. The New Look

128. Where It Begins

129. Touch Me

130. This Is Not Me

131. Buried To Blossom

132. The Widow

133. Mother

134. I’m A Woman

135. An Innocent Timeline

136. A Fiery Sunset

137. We Hope You Remember

138. Something In Me Survived

139. Not Again!

140. A Place Of Quiet

141. Hear The Words

142. I Am The Dance

143. All They Knew

144. You!

145. The Opening Flower

146. Be Gone!

147. Joblessness

148. All Over Again

PART 5

Space Series (Mystical)

149. Space

150. Love’s Wings

151. A Life Of Five Decades

152. Who Is She?

153. Letting Go

154. Don’t You Know?

155. Someday

156. From Dust We Came

157. Unanswered Prayers

158. Sing My Songs

159. Come Hold Me

160. It Is Time

161. Stand In Your Pain

162. The Ageless Mystery

163. Legends Of Our Land

164. The Untamed Woman

165. The Love Child

166. Inheritance

167. Alone In Thoughts

168. All Is Not Well

169. To Know!

170. I Speak The Words

171. This Is What You Do

172. Universe And Us

173. Boring Routine

174. Lost In Time

175. Naija Pidgin

176. Forget

177. My Nature!

178. Web Of Happiness

179. They Tried So Hard

180. Words And Dreams

181. Dancing With The Stars

182. I Will Wait For You

183. No One Heard

184. Before Me

185. I Will Remember Everything

PART 6

Miracle Series (Magical)

186. True Devotion

187. Blind Faith

188. If Love Could Talk

189. Nature’s Gift

190. A Healing Heart

191. Mirror Image

192. Ocean Of Words

193. With Her Eyes

194. Unforgettable!

195. Bankrupt Soul

196. Inside Our Head

197. Run Free

198. Borrowed Wings

199. My Words Are Wings

200. My Life And Times

201. At The Edge Of Pain

202. Unrestrained

203. Overflow

204. Renewal

205. Losing Battle

206. Trapped In A Cage

207. My Dream Of Spring

208. Spread Your Dreams

209. When I Was Broken

210. A Bed Of Thorns

211. Nights With You

212. One More Day

213. Love’s Glossy Hues

214. How Badly Do You Want It?

215. Fields Of Solitude

216. Life Is A Maze

217. Do Not Run Away

218. Dream Keeper

219. Wild And Free At Heart

220. Awakening

221. Audacity Of Hope

222. The Just Live By Faith

DREAMS DO COME TRUE

223. I am African

224. It Shall Be Said

"I want to get to the end of my life fulfilled.

I want to live the whole length of it

I want to fill the entire depth of it

I want to explore the height of it.

In style; with passion, and grace

There will be no empty spaces of I wish.

There will be no sad regrets of I should have.

There will be no frail excuses of I didn’t.

There will be no feeble tears of I couldn’t.

I will drum out my voice so loud

And paint my canvas so colorful

That the world will stand still in pride.

I will light my fires and let it burn brightly.

I will let the waters drench my deserts.

I will order the air to blow away my doubts.

I will luxuriate in the beauty of nature:

Elements of Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Space.

I will be bigger in the inside than the outside.

I will reward life with my best attempt

I will love God in my imperfect ways.

I will make every day my Masterpiece!

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my parents,

Engineer Udo Amos Afia and Dcns. Alice Afia,

With profound love, deep respect and eternal gratitude.

Preface

I have grown up believing in The One Great God of the Universe. "The one who encompasses the whole world - the Source from whom all creation originated. The world religions and traditions refer to Him by many names: Omnipresent, Omniscient and Omnipotent - the architect of time and seasons, the all-knowing God with whom resides all wisdom and power. The one at whose command, the work of creation - comprising the natural elements of earth, fire, water, air and space unfolds itself in majestic splendor.

Each of these elements constitute a formidable force of nature. Untameable, uncontainable, uncontrollable - they are everywhere with us, touching us in seen and unseen ways, leading us to Nirvana as we embark on the journey towards peace, delight and bliss. Not surprisingly, we may never achieve total or complete serenity but we can learn to control our spirit not to respond to the negativity around us. I learnt to see myself as one of these complex forces of nature: indomitable, Untameable. Uncontainable. Unconquerable. Unbreakable.

This is how we build our inner strength. By rising above our peculiar circumstances with determination, resilience and a focused mindset. We refuse to yield or surrender our power to situations that seek to diminish our personality. And whether we are loud or quiet, introvert or extrovert, impetuous or tempestuous, logical or practical, timid or outgoing, emotional or rational, mystical or magical like nature’s elements; our complex personalities may never be quite able to define us totally. This is because each person is an entire unique combination of traits, with different strengths and weaknesses.

Our spirits flourish and bloom when infused with positivity. Like plants starved of nutrients, we also have the tendency to wither and atrophy. Pain causes disfigurements of our emotions. Sorrows and grief also mold us into who we are- either sensitive souls or hardened victims of life’s tragedies. But we can choose. The choice is ours to make; whether to give up, surrender or to plough through our difficult seasons with bare-faced grit and determination. I made my choice. I chose the latter. I chose FAITH. I fed my spirit with strength, even in the face of adversities. You can do the same.

There is a certain kind of fire that water cannot put out. And that’s the fire of burning; nothing could quench my raging determination to succeed. To be better. To align my name with the reality of my existence. The oppression and suppression could not stop me. The fire had been building from a little flickering flame to a massive consuming fire within the period of 28yrs. The fire was shut up in my bones. All I could smell was freedom. I willed it into my spirit. Over the horizon, I could sense freedom in the air. Calling me, telling me I shall overcome.

I know God looked down from above and remembered His promise. Maybe He was moved by my prayers, moved by my words, my songs, and my tears. And maybe, it was time. As Prophet Amos said, Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. Now, you can see how the forces of nature are aligned for your success: Fire in your bones, the wind softly calling and justice like waters.

And If you can be like water to bear another along on billowing waves, or like wind to gently blow another to their destination; if you can light the fire for another to be inspired and see clearly, and like the earth nurture another to flourish, then from out of space you will hear wisdom whisper, Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. Only then can you become the Samaritan.

If only you can rephrase the questions in your heart. If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me? Said the Levite or the priest to himself. But the Good Samaritan came by and reversed the question: If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him? Nothing would be more tragic than for me to stop at this point. Therefore I purpose to give myself to this struggle until the end. A Samaritan I have become, for I fear what will happen to other men and women, our daughters, our sons, our sisters, our brothers, our mothers and our fathers; if I keep silent.

My biggest challenge is to offer myself as an example to those who are facing difficulties and challenges of their own. My success will encourage someone to pursue their dreams, no matter how long it has been buried. My breakthroughs will ginger and fire up those who may have given up on themselves. My story tells you that it is never too late to be what you wanted to be. It tells you that you can begin again, from scratch, if need be. You can build your very own fire! You know one of the best things about a fire? It produces heat! What can you do with that heat?

Warm yourself up, rouse your lethargic soul, chase away the cold in your heart and feel the healing flames slowly soothe your pain. That same fire will light your way out of darkness and cast away the frightening shadows of doubt. It will shine bright on your path to unearth your buried dreams. The ones you interred under the trash of other people’s opinions and dogma, when you forgot the person you were created to be.

If you’re reading this, still trying and struggling to achieve something, I am here to tell you that it can be done, you can do it, it’s not too late. The real sense of purpose comes with giving others what you have already been given, that unique resource that life hid within you. You may never live a happy and fulfilled life until you discover your inner abilities. If you fail to share your unique talents, you’ll be robbing the world a unique resource that only you can give. It is time you become generous, and share it widely and loudly. God put it in you to make you richer, wiser, and more prosperous.

The 225 poems in this book, is written to inspire those who have the tenacity and resilience to pursue their dreams.

That broken thing you keep trying to put back together, cannot even compare to that beautiful thing that’s waiting to be built!

Straighten your back up.

Stop hanging onto your pain.

It is time to close some doors,

That no longer lead you anywhere.

Get off the cross, and adorn your crown.

Stop shrinking to fit places you have outgrown.

No man can ride on your back unless it is bent.

#Untameable

#Indomitable

#Unbreakable

#Unstoppable

#Uncontainable

#Unconquerable

UBOHO

Foreword

by ‘kufre Ekanem

There are times some books hit you on a shelf or off a stack