YELF ARTIST OF THE MONTH, OCTOBER 2020
Maryam Salman, also known as Quill on Scroll, is a twenty-year-old final year student of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria. Born and brought up in Kaduna, Maryam devotes most of her time reading literature. This gave birth to her passion for writing.
She found solace in her quill, voicing out all the things the world shut her for. An avid lover of nature, Maryam sees herself as a caged bird who longs for freedom. She loves telling stories of the women of Northern Nigeria, where she was born. She is the Editor-in-Chief of her department and also a freelance writer.
Among other hobbies, she loves writing, volunteering, gardening and sight-seeing. In the nearest future, Maryam hopes to walk down the walls of the United Nations to talk about the plight of women and children in her country.
*I AM THUNDER*
Like a sprouting seed I blossomed
Defying all odds to survive
And muting the negativities that buried me
Wild and ferocious as I may be
I grew with the wind
Becoming what they say I couldn’t
By treading the deepest pits
Just to come out stronger
I started roughly
Falling with each step
But picking myself up again and again
For the ground isn’t home
Where I could dwell
And so with each fall I grew
Because I looked beyond the horizon
Towards the unending skies
Where I can bask in liberty
And hover like a free bird without shackles
Manifesting the glory of God
And living my purpose
Because I am thunder
And I won’t keep quiet
2)
And when they realised
She was a wild falcon
Not the type to be caged
They gave in rather reluctantly
And made way for her to fly
“Go, with all our blessings” they said
Fly O daughter of the sky
Make friends with the sun
Battle with the storms
Make the moon your home
Twinkle like the stars
Let’s see your wins from down here
And do not descend
Till your fire quells
3)
Life
All the hustles and bustles
Man’s journey is not complete without bustles
Suffering in the harsh weather
Come rain come sunshine
Just to make ends meet
As I looked around
I could see weary shoulders and wrinkled faces
Toiling day in day out
Well-built bodies wearing away
Like the rags of the old village woman
Life is like a hollow valley
Full of riches at the bottom
Like the proverbial Valley in Sinbad’s adventure
Yet you must tread on thorns and needles
To reach the bottom
Oh you the hardworking one
You shall reap the fruits of your labour
Surely one day your star shall shine
That day you will find your treasures
4)
There is a monster
Lurking in the dark
Behind my hut
Where I was born
It stays there forever
And dictates my everyday life
It is the roaring command
An oppressing ruler
Speaking of this beast
It opposes change
Perhaps because it fears
A challenge
This hideous oppressor
Who imprisoned me
Wrapping me in shackles
Dictating my future
Enslaving me forever
Shall I not tell you about this monster
With different faces
And various names
This monster
Lurking in the dark
Behind my hut
Where I was born
Is called CUSTOMS and TRADITIONS
