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There will be bloodshed
He predicted that there will be bloodshed. Nothing like the nation ever saw. A few months after his wild predictions, he died. Nobody thought much about him or his prophecies of doom. Until ten years later. The first of his predictions was slowly turning into reality, like the seedling of a young plant indistinguishable from…
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boredom is a blessing
boredom is a blessingfertile grounds for sowingconsistent habits into daily routines just aseverything has a nameso doeseverything has its place just aseveryone has their tastesso doeseveryone has their pace soevery time you face delaysin your hasty climb to famejustlock your focus onto that Rock of AgesWho never fails, never shames, never wanes
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She imagines
She imagines what it means to have a mother. Hers died while bringing her into the world. Like some marathon, she was handed the baton. And here she was, wondering what this race is all about. She recalls the many times she’s hanged unto someone she considered a mom. It didn’t take long to see…
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The watch uncle gave me
Mother had traveled. And upon returning, she brought me a toy phone and a wrist watch. Gifts from Uncle T. Normally, uncle would be called on the phone for me to say ‘thank you’ to him. But phones were not common those days, and my parents didn’t have one. Imagine my joy having a phone…
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watching the experts
I sat on my bed watching from my laptop on a bedside table, occasionally worried if the volume disturbed my neighbors who lived next room. Something was on my mind : will these people be advocating for fidelity in relationships if theirs were so thorny with complications that they couldn’t wait to be out of…
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words said into young ears
there’s this poem I read in childhoodabout looking up to oneself in all thingsI remember the principal telling us boyswhile interpreting the poemthat people who never intend helping you financiallyalways say “Oh, I just gave out my money to X”“I would have helped if you asked earlier.”we giggled, thinking it was a funny tale he…
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Mouchidath and Yasa
From our conversations, I inferred that she wanted to marry someone older than she was, someone more financially stable. I was surprised she thought of giving Yasa a chance. Yasa was much younger. Perhaps it was because he had money. I wouldn’t say she was materialistic. Yasa had helped her a lot. He got her…
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A lonely trip to Tripoli
a lonely trip to Tripoliwhere abandoned motel light bulbs dangle in violent windslike the balls of a bull in motioncasting concrete eerie shadowson squeaky doors with no keysscreaming softlyas if mourning the death of a once buoyant city a lone guitarist plays for the listening windsmessages that never reach the earsof the sleeping, heaving wavesof…
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God is watching …
Sometimes it feels some people have turned themselves into GodDeciding what is right and what is wrongDeciding who should live and who should dieMany imposters may try to play GodBut that role is too big to be filled by any pair of buttsGod sees everythingHe hears everythingThe worst a mortal can do is kill another…
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The still small voice
a still small voicespeaking to you in what seems likeyour own voiceyour own thoughts Nudging you to let goof the water slipping out of your clenched fistof hard efforts that have come to nothing a still small voicethat’s always lived with youinvisible like the windstealth like movements in the dark yet each time it speaksit’s…
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I will get there
I munch food noisily. Not deliberately. Naturally. I did not know this. I’ve been living alone and I had never paid attention. Until I found myself at a dinner, in the midst of respectable people, with no music to mask anything. The discovery was embarrassing. There and then I had to practice eating in a…
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Butukwen and his mother
Her son had a challenge. Physically, he was alright. Mentally, he was unstable, couldn’t sit at one place and behaved more like a toddler for his age. Personally, I felt his mother should have looked for a personal teacher for him, a teacher who taught him at home. Or maybe, the school should have separate…
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This too shall pass
We all acted ok, but deep down things looked bleak. My friend was sick, and I could see that though we were both broke, his situation was worse. He had no money, no food, nothing to buy even a leaf to cure himself. The note in my pocket was my last flour and oil to…
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Sack of trouble
Outside were parked beautiful cars belonging to students, and the entrance of the new hostel was busy with students moving in and out. Some from shopping malls holding with them fancy shopping bags loaded with provisions, others were moving in, aided by the porters who carried their fridges, microwave ovens or giant fluffy teddy bears…
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Tension
The receptionists were new. I exploited their inability to distinguish guests from staff. Slowly, I approach their desk. A stranger desperate to bypass them without being checked will try hurrying past while they were attending to some visitors, and this usually aroused their suspicions. I’ve been observing all this from a distance. And so, I…
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Life in Northern Ghana 1/10
Many who have lived all their lives in southern Ghana assume people from northern Ghana speak one language, are predominantly Muslims, have access to powerful magical charms, know one another’s hometowns, are troublesome by nature, live in primitive houses and practice primitive customs, eat weird food, and have parents who arrange marriages for children. Such…
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The new preacher
I stared at the WhatsApp post for a while. Of course I recognized the face. An old classmate. Lost touch with him since we completed school many years ago. Here he was, on the WhatsApp status of a close friend, posing as a preacher. I found it hard to accept the change. That boy has…
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Last time I saw Uncle Maduk
The last time I saw Uncle Maduk, he told me he knew he wasn’t going to survive the operation, and that by the time I am back for the next holidays, he might be no more. He thanked me for constantly paying him visits, bringing him fruits despite the rumors that he was an evil…
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Expedition to Mango heights
It was a long wall along a busy road. We stood by the wall, waiting, patiently. There always came a moment the busy road became quiet, kind of deserted. The very moment we were looking forward to. Ali bent, I stood on his bent back, and yet couldn’t properly reach the top of the wall.…
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At the prayer grounds
You see all kinds of things at the prayer grounds. Done praying. And as I gather my mat and double my steps through the thick bushes, I contemplate on the porridge in my locker that I intended using to break my fast, my thoughts distracted by the diverse prayer groups dispersed under various trees on…
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Get a mirror
It’s easy to sometimes think you’re superhuman.But a mirror will reveal your protruding stomach,hunched posture, and bushy beard that makes you look more like an ape turning into man than the superman you think you are. A mirror will show you yellowing canines, an awkward style of pursing your lips, skin defects that need attention,…
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They say you’re not good
they say you’re not goodthat you’re a hypocritea wolf in sheepskin they say you’re a disappointmentyou had so much potentialbut what are you today?a burdena watered seed that never germinatesyour gardeners are agingperhaps it’s strangers that will reap their toil but youwhat have you got to say about yourself?you’ve been silentsilently workingopening up your sores,…
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For how long?
Today you have the power to squash someone underneath your toe. But the human spirit is unlike the body of an insect. It’s tough, refuses to die, keep coming, and will always strike back. Imagine the spirit of an entire nation. What is the sense in abusing power? No matter how powerful you are, how…
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Thick clouds are gathering
Thick clouds are gatheringAmidst occasional rumblingsAnd chilly winds mixed with the departing warmthJubilant crows circle in the sky In a corner of the sky, sun rays leakThrough a crack in the clouds Sweat from perspiring clouds in motionDrip on my face, I hurry to a shelter I watch the crows now sitting silently on nearby…
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Complicated
Where is the balance between revealing your true thoughts on sensitive matters to those in your inner circle you really trust and being yourself without caring what people think? No matter how religious our upbringing was, there always comes a time in our growth process that we encounter things that force us to question and…
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No shortcuts to maturity
The temptation to use a shortcut to a desired destination will always be there, like a seductive prompt, ticking like a clock, ticking your thoughts into confused contemplation. But like Rick Warren once said, there are no shortcuts to maturity. Obstacles force the mind to become multidimensional in its view, in its analysis, gaining insights…
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Note to self
She looks like she doesn’t know anything. I wouldn’t say she’s an idiot. Maybe she is. Perhaps I might get to know something positive about her if I draw closer. Wasn’t particularly surprised at what Itaka told me yesterday. She’s descending the stairs. I smile and greet. Only if she knew what I was thinking.…
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Another rengay with ❤️David❤️
I strongly believe we can do so much by harnessing our energies, by putting ideas and efforts together. It’s a beautiful thing participating in picture prompts like the one by Sadje every Monday. And when writers reach out to other writers for collaboration, fireworks happen. It was such an honour participating in another rengay with…
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Growth
How do I know I am growing? It’s when I no more derive satisfaction from smashing old obstacles. Something inside yearns for a bigger mountain. But new mountains are not always fun to climb. There are some you’ll keep circling and circling for a long time before finding an opening to begin your first foot…
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The best employer
The best employer is a challenging life, it pays well more than any other. A challenging life is unpredictable, full of uncertainties. It can fire you at any moment, it can announce your promotion when you least expect it. That’s why many employees there tender in their resignations day in day out. A challenging life…
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New year, same motions?
She asked if I haven’t become tired of the motions of 31st all-night church services where new year resolutions and prayers are made for a year that promises much but delivers nothing. Perhaps, frustrations were providing her the lens to see things with such clarity. I try to cheer her up by saying a consistent…
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Only believe
I’ve come to what seems like my endwhere patched hopes refuse to mendbarriers refuse to bendthe raging sea in my pathrefuses to part and all I hear in the midst of the rising tidesis a still small voice reminding meto only believe Holding onfeels like waiting for stones to ripenI do not know if I…
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In the shadows
In the shadows of every shadeAn unseen plaque with the nameOf a thoughtful sower In the success of many homesThe unheard creaking bonesOf a thoughtful shoulder Same sower and seed scenarioReplayed, retoldWisdom, wasting, waitingTo be emulated
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Dawn prayers
Was woken up at dawn. Had to listen for a while before I knew what the noise was all about. Dawn prayers. At this point they were in the middle of a sermon. Was about to return to my sleep when I heard something amusing. The preacher was talking about how we black people are…
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Mother’s ritual
Mother and her syringe. Colourful symbols of my childhood. As I reflect on the past, I see my legs high up in the air, suspended by mom’s left hand while her right held the syringe filled with a herbal mixture. First, I am bent over, the syringe is inserted into my anus, and the green…
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Listening to Enya
Hit songs are addictive, forcing us to put them on replay mode for days. With time, the punch lines in the lyrics lose their energy and sparkle, the funny jokes in the songs become dry.I used to think this was the cycle of every good song until I came across some masterpieces. It was December…
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bending bars
the opening line of a new poem comes to mindI write it down impressiveinspiringout of the blue I think of what should followseveral attempts, no progressI doze off, wake up, continueputting many activities on hold still no progresscan’t think of a sensible continuation frustration days pass byI sit, rise, pace, take a break, return, take…
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gods of justice in their element
chunks of gingerthat have missed the teeth of a blenderhave found their way into Mom’s soupDisguised among the chunks of smoked fish and salted meatawaiting an unsuspecting victimwhose feet are tiptoeing towards the kitchengently opening the doorlistening hard for mom’s voice which is busy in the living room shouting on some sordid character on TVTV…
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Good bye my friend
Today my heart is saddened. News. Of the loss of a close friend. How strange she would have found it, seeing posters of herself on walls of houses and electric poles, and on WhatsApp statuses. Obituary. If only she could see it all coming. Just last year we were home together, I unemployed, and she,…
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The restaurant at the foot of a hill
The restaurant stood at the foot of a hill. I had passed there several times without noticing it, partly because I was new to the area. Initially, I was skeptical about the quality of their meals. But they gave me good reasons to become a regular customer. Lunch time, you were sure to find me…
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Termite mound, the story of persistance
I have witnessed mankind’s countless fruitless efforts to destroy termite mounds. Slash down the mounds, the termites rebuild. Slash again, the termites rebuild and rebuild. You hit them, they keep coming. Tiny insects, of which five can be squashed under the thumb of a human, build giant houses for themselves, houses sometimes taller than the…
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Single mom
Single mom, with two children, from different fathers. From a distance, you might think she’s promiscuous, or deserved what she got, or wasn’t smart enough. Draw closer, hear her out. You’ll realize it could have been you, or any other person who never wished to end up there. When we meet a romantic partner, with…
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Snow-capped mountains
Snow-capped mountainsSnaky pathsSoldiers thrudging through themLike driver antsMiles from homeLonging for all the little pleasures back homeThey once took for grantedSome mutter words to a rosary on their neck,Some chutter indistinct sounds to curved figures in their handsSome kiss amidst tears photos of loved oneswounded or blown apartThey hope a piece of them will returnTo…
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The good old days
Back then our TVs used antennae usually tied to some little pole nailed to roofs of houses, and for some strange reasons, it was always in the middle of a movie or football match, when the action was intensely suspenseful, that there would be a sudden community-wide power outage, a blackout that blackened our hearts…
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We are one family
Like two tough bulls, two men are locked in a game of draughts under the shade of a baobab tree, surrounded by a cocktail of nationalities, so typical of crowds in West Africa’s Ivory Coast. Friends and passersby watch in suspense against a backdrop of Zouglou music playing from a bar nearby. The game ends.…
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dry your tears
He’s asked that she dry her tears and smilebut how can she, in the midst of so much pain?while they talk, she’s distractedby the singing of her patientsa favorite song of her lover gone on a long journeywhose many letters have trickled to a fewthe song comes to herlike some lonesome puppy recognizing its master…
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The letter to Daouda
she thought she carried good newsshe’s been sent to deliver a lettershe, an illiteratethere in his office she stoodwaiting for him to read and replythe wilting joy on the face of the readertells her something isn’t rightslowly, the initial smile on his face fermentsinto a sad, bitter face, polluting her initial joy tooshe waits as…
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The anus of a fowl
He was planted among us on purpose, but we did not know. He came across as honest, complaining just like the rest of us of the hardships we all faced. We assumed he was one of us. It started with my resignation. He was the first to call. I still remember where I was when…
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Fireworks and chilly winds
fireworks, chilly windsI lay in bed, lying on my sidefacing the open windowa moonless sky lit with sparkling starsChristmas is a month awaybut I can smell it miles awaythinkingof all the thingsand peoplethat have come and gonethinkingof my life nowand what is to come ………………………………………………….. Email:Benjaminnambu1@gmail.com WhatsApp:+233 541 824 839
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To those who never lived
How do babies of complicated pregnancies that necessitated an abortion feel? Do they ask God why others are given a chance to live while they are not? Is there a special planet for those little sweet souls to have a taste of life on Earth? Those aborted because their parents did not need them in…
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Born for a prince
When we are growing up, we have these grand illusions of what we wanna be, places we want to go and whom we want to marry. Many of these illusions are birthed and kept alive by movies we’ve watched, a favorite song, some picture in a newspaper, book or magazine, spiced by our imaginations. At…
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to the hospital
It’s my birthday. Unfortunately, I will be spending it in the hospital. Following my instincts, I do not leave early. Which is something nobody would do. Because, our hospitals are famous for having too many patients than any number of doctors can handle.Patients tend to rise early to make it to the hospital on time.…
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songs of a folktale
all eyes on the new moonas we sang, clapped and dancedsongs of a folktale about the moon and the sunmotherswho decided to slaughter their children for a meal during a famineThe sun was the first, sacrificing her children but the wise moon loved her children and wouldn’t when it was her turnThe furious sun now…
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Why can’t we all live in peace?
God scatters sweet little innocent children like seeds into the world to be gifts and blessings. I wonder what some of them are fed that makes them germinate into devils that won’t let humanity sleep soundly at night. Or, maybe the universe is allergic to peace? All that comes out of a war factory is…
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first TV in my village
The first person to buy a television in my village was the envy of village gossipers for months. Clansmen who lived in distant places heard of the new wonder. The excitement in the village was electrifying. The man at the center of the news was a womanizer. Imagine how easily he magnetized desperate women longing…
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Traces of the virus
I used to crave for attention. I would do anything to get it, although at the time I didn’t realize it was an obsession, tainted with subtle pride. It started in my childhood when a neighbor’s wife used to call my brother and send him on errands. She would sometimes give him gifts for being…
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Wandering in the woods
A quiet afternoon. Two lovers drift into woods nearby. Intermittent giggling echoes through trees as they run on, as if to escape the prying eyes of the sun searching through trees swaying in the late Friday afternoon winds. It looked dangerous from outside. Now that they were inside the jungle, they saw things differently. The…
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sticks in my ears
a wet rug was placed over the hot lantern chimneywhen the rug had soaked up enough heat and could no longer breatheit was placed over the fresh wound on my legI squirmed, screamed and tossed in painThick arms gripped me, so that the wet, hot rug could engage in a long lick of my woundmother’s…
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Let them
let them speak evil behind your backlet them have the wrong impressions of youlet them plot and schemehoping to lure you into senseless argumentslet them criticizebelittle you, underrate youlet them talk, those who seem to know betterdishing out advice to situations they know little about stay calmin the midst of the noisehold your peacein the…
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Irony
They say knowledge should be free, that some people can’t afford. And to put that sermon into practice, websites are set up where thousands of free books are available for download, a free download of books others have toiled to write and raise money for their publication and reprints. The irony? The same websites will…
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End of play
We had been rehearsing for weeks, although I had no clue what it all meant and for what occasion. But from the repeated motions day in day out, I figured out some pieces of the puzzle : it was a play about a baby who was to be visited by shepherds. Who this baby was…
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Sick with the quagmire
you’ll sing better songsthis thirst for changewill make you drink ideas till you’re drunknobody reaches the heights you’re aiming for sobermany your kind have been hereit’s the same ancient pathdifferent faces, same heart ……………………………………………………. Email:Benjaminnambu1@gmail.com WhatsApp: +233 541 824 839
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Blind plants
Plants are like blind servants. They stand at one place all their lives with arms stretched out, with their roots, stems, leaves, fruits and any other thing they can offer on the tray to serve humanity. When our water bodies are polluted from chemicals like those used in mining minerals in water bodies, the blind…
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wake every beast
honed every skilltried every trickcombed every streetwoke every beastcrossed every seatossed every diceate every lielicked every woundpaid every duesplayed every tunedealt every cardtook every chanceknocked every doorfought every dogticked every box yet for all my effortsa harvest of winds but I keep pressing onunrelentingly https://wp.me/paf3ao-m3z
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Survive this test
Rise above these dark momentsRise above these harsh currentsRise above these insults that hurtRise above the confusing twistsThe humanizing treatsAnd temporary defeats Survive this testYou were designed to outlastAnd outlive this floodBe an inspiration to the rest Refuse to stay downWield these stormsInto reservoirs of strengthWeave this lossInto beautiful songs ………………………………………………….. Email:Benjaminnambu1@gmail.com WhatsApp: +233 541…
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Gone with the wind
There are days nothing spectacular happen in our lives. Just routines. And yet one day we look back, and miss those ordinary times. Like I am looking back right now and seeing myself beside a tomato farm right behind our school wall. Almost everyday, while teaching in a classroom on the last floor, I stole…
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It is easy to assume they’re partial
From a distance, it is easy to assume they are partial. But when you get a chance to walk in their shoes, and perhaps put on their clothes, you understand why they sometimes complain of heat when the weather appears cold. When I was in basic school, I noticed how our class teacher gave what…
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Movements and changes
Things are different here. I have left the city for a small town, what else could I expect? It takes time to make new friends, and if you’re a student in a higher level of education, it’s not easy finding someone on the same mental wavelength. There is this question of being “humble” and mingling…
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A formula for political success
Politicians are good at studying the mood of the citizenry to craft messages that resonate with the masses. In Africa for instance, many people blame their political leaders for being puppets of western governments. A true leader of the people is one who is bent on industrializing the country, thus creating jobs, alleviating poverty, reducing…
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The lone bird is done singing
The lone bird is done singing,and the migratory season is here.It has joined its clanto sail across the sky,to a new land. We cannot help but keep lookingwhere it once stood, singing.The lone bird is no more,only echoes of its voice. Like nicknamesof old high school friendsheld together in indelible inkagainst fading classroom walls,your name…
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Bleak house
Already, they were suspicious. So, my going there was a gamble. Part of my reason for going there was to gain their trust. That was why when they offered me a meal, I did not hesitate to thank them and head towards the dinning table. They had eaten already, so I was the only one…
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Love ripens slowly
Love ripens slowlyBonds deepen softlyAnd I, with my impatienceHave ruined many opportunitiesLike some black sheepdressed in greenTo light up the screenFor all to see InexperienceAnd the lack of humility to learnTwo rodentsThat have ruined many beautiful beginnings https://wp.me/paf3ao-lZh
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The view from the narrow path
there is a kind of insightthat only the aged can better appreciate there is a confidencethat only the masters exude there is a joythat only those who appreciate the simple pleasures of life find there is a forcethat only those who have stayed down for far too long and are determined to rise, can emit…
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Nether regions of unfathomable defeat
I was always broke. And lonely. For four solid years. Just when I was headed straight for a bright new dawn at the end of the tunnel, I made a wrong move that sent me spiraling past the beginning of my tunnel into nether regions of unfathomable defeat. The morning of that unforgettable Monday it…
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J.P
At first, it all sounded like some distant dream, something happening very far away. But the whispering intensified, so did the shuffling of feet. The whisperer now seemed to be standing over me, beside the floor where I lay, mumbling and spitting indiscriminately. I awoke. The dream seemed familiar, but I couldn’t remember the first…
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Mother
Mother,your sacrificesare unforgettablelike the lines and prints in my palms You saw valuein a premature babyAn infant many would have abandonedYou traveled in every direction for healersin search of herbal doctors to cure your son What many would have rejectedYou nurtured into a full grown man like me You were the colorin my colorful ChristmasesIf…
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This nosy Tijani of ours
Watching him from the summer hut under which we grilled meat and prepared drinks to be served to customers reminded me of spy movies I watched a long time ago. He looked like a spy. Or maybe he was one. One could never be sure. We could predict when he’ll come, the things he was…
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Madmen in my village
There used to be just two madmen in my village when I was a kid. Everyone knew them, and parents used their names to scare children into taking their baths and being good. I still remember their names : Mallam Moro and Yawele. Recently as I thought about their names, it occurred to me that…
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Thank you, David🙏
I had the opportunity of writing a rengay with David and it was fun. It was my first time writing one, and frankly I had never heard of the term. But David explained it to me and the rules governing these kinds of poems. It was initially challenging for me to think of saying much…
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The psychologist
She said she couldn’t see anything in her dreams whenever she slept in a dark room. The lights must be on before she could make sense of anything in her dreams. “You mean when the lights in your room are out, there is neither sunshine or any ray of light in your dreams? “ the…
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Holidays
Whenever we were caught up with so much work in the office, we longed for public holidays. Then like rain on thirsty lands, we receive some update on a WhatsApp platform or online news website: some public holiday had been announced and was lurking behind the uninformed, waiting to see their surprised looks and giggles…
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I bring you blood
A cargo ship of hopesShipwreckedBeneath the sea’s toesLurkedGhosts of entrusted dreamsAnd progressHard-earnedSinking Foundations of steel sacrifices laidBricks of greed have replacedPaths of prosperity chartedOvergrown with weedAnd feetOf the coldhearted The Promiseland has become wastelandSince fallen heroes sankTo nether regionsAnd seasons have piled upon seasons The sea is no keeperOf wreckage it floatsBread cast upon the…
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Can you feel the silence?
The resilience of a peopleCrushed into hateLike juice of grapesTettered to constant shellingAnd constant sellingOf half-truths and half-bakedRealities by the media Surgical scissors and needlesMay sew woundsBut they can’t cup deep enoughTo reach the brokenness withinTo sew and stitchBroken hopes and promises Can you feel the silenceOf budding innocent lives mowed downBegging us to join…
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Echoes of a forgotten past
It was the kind of place everyone dreamt of goingNot because it was a place meant for the richBut because of the peace, quiet, calmJust something about the placeCalling the soul to come take a look at least onceIn a lifetimeSo many stories about the placeOf how great friends reconnected thereOf how people met the…
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Here he returns
I see him wave at familyAnd friendsAnd those in betweenAs he stood at the height of the airstairsGone to seek medical care abroadFor a diseases that has been knockingAnd he’s felt too scared to open Here he returnsAs a package flown in by airThe head of a family, mentor and leaderLying among luggageFamily confirms he…
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The reward of the resilient
PatienceWhen sprinkledInto boiling situationsTakes time to dissolveAnd colour complicationsWith its sweet, calm scent It’s a long lone roadThat journey between a dreamAnd it’s fulfilmentWhere tangible silenceQuestions one’s beliefsRendering faith brittle and cold No pair of handsCan stop the sun’s shineHave hope, even in the face of shame Don’t let these tidal wavesSink your calmBright sunny…
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I prepare the food basket
As I hurried with the basket of food over my headin the direction of the farm, I imagine the scene awaiting me: Students scattered across acres of yam moundsSome tilling, others weeding, the majority (girls)carrying weeds further off the farmland to be burnt I arrive, after a long walk towards the outskirts of the village…
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What could be going on in his mind?
A hunchback leans against the bark of a treeWatching football training sessions on a parkAs the bus I sat in circled a cornerI spot the smallish figure hiding behind the treeStealing every glance there is to gleanFrom the parkI stare, and wonderWhat could be going on in his mindDid he wish he could play like…
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I have found a new classroom
I have always been eager to teach, to share, an enthusiasm that has eroded graduallyto reveal its true face : prideToday, I embark on a new journey, one of silence, of listening, of paying attentionI have missed many important lessons and sessions of growthwhile I was gone looking for new converts to discipleI have achieved…
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My enemies have won
They said moans could be heard from the living room on the Sunday morning she died.It was a child playing on the compound who first heard her. Soon, many ears gathered. And eyes too, as they thronged the living room. There, Adzo, on the carpet floor, leaning against a sofa, her face and posture twisted…
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Recoil, reflect
RecoilReflectAbandon the unproductive habits The barren roads that yield only thorns Expectations that produce only hurtsCultivate the untapped potential within That niche you keep groping for Reserves of energy without limits These obstacles to happiness and positivity Are here to test what you’re made of to test your resolve your character patienceShow them what only the indomitable can doShow them by…
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Waiting, watching
This is a bus that goes to a city I once lived inA long time agoSeeing passengers getting ready to board itBrings back many memoriesMemories of hopes that never materializedAnd the blessings in disguise I now realizeNot many detours in life will be understoodThe bus leaves, I stare at the inscription behind itI imagine the…
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Believe whatever you like
Believe whatever you like. Time will test your convictions. Makes me wonder why we waste time advising and cautioning people. If their character, attitude, perspectives, resolve, or new path is a good or bad choice, time will tell. Perhaps the fact that time tests everything (buildings, rocks, mountains, love, hearts, loyalty, fashion, revolutions, empires, kingdoms,…
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Everything matters
I used to think of waiting till I am excellent at what I do before I begin, waiting to be perfect,waiting for the perfect conditions. I didn’t know perfection is a lifelong journey that only begins when we decide to start unprepared. I used to underrate the things I did. They seem to not have…
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The crash
A military helicopter crashed in my country recently, killing all 8 people on board. My first thoughts were “What was going through the minds of those on board as they walked into the helicopter?“ Did they sense it coming? Did any of them feel the need to step back and say they wouldn’t go but…
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I see the cracks
“I’ve missed my dad”She whispersI can’t relate, never had oneI think of the death of my dogAnd try to imagine her lossIt’s a human, the loss must be huge The force holding her world togetherHad been crushedNo wonder everything is spiraling asunderI see the cracksIn the good life she’s cobbled up
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I see the cracks
“I’ve missed my dad”She whispersI can’t relate, never had oneI think of the death of my dogAnd try to imagine her lossIt’s a human, the loss must be huge The force holding her world togetherHad been crushedNo wonder everything is spiraling asunderI see the cracksIn the good life she’s cobbled up
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Barren Hills
She squeezes a note into his palmsI watch, wondering how he feelsScrubbing dirt to make ends meetI see the humiliation in his eyesAs he adjusts his cap to block off sunshineAnd prying eyes It’s a stageAnd not a fateOne faltering step after anotherThe financial cripple gathers courageTo wobble and finally walk To earn one’s name…
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Silence and tears
The prayer groundsWere not out of boundsTo anyone or anything, including snakesThat had come to prey Haven’t prayed in a long whileAnd as the thick jaws of hard timesClose in on meI head towards the mango treesUnder which we prayedAn isolated forest far away A silent bird perched in the cold drizzleAllowing its posture and…
Diary of a Wanderer 