Benjamin Nambu

Powered by: WordPress
Powered by: WordPress

The Outcast (Page 21)

As our bus left Pwalugu, the arid, scotchy north was growing dimmer in the driver’s mirror. We raced through stretches of desolated grasslands, meeting fewer and fewer cars, tractors and donkeys. Slowly, we were fading out of wastelands, the whirring of our bus tyres timing our progress. Occasionally, we bumped into police checkpoints. Sometimes, it…
Sophie

Her job drives her nuts! She tries to keep calm, tries to act normal, tries to blend in with the others, but the cracks in the pretense are too visible. No wonder those who worked there for over thirty years were tight friends with alcohol. At night, it’s hard to stay awake at work. And…
The Outcast (Page 20)

I sat by the window. Drawing the curtains slightly, I caught the final glimpses of our town as the bus snaked around the station before landing on the highway. The STC station was a collection of nim trees with a shed under which tickets were sold, where passengers and visitors could sit. Behind the shed…
Spanish riddles

Slowly, the argument over triflesDwindles, in its place, gigglesHe nibbles at her nippy nipplesShock waves of pleasure ripplesAs she recites Spanish riddles A break from the toil won’t foilThe climb, neither will it soilThe mind, never does it spoilThe grind, it can be deployedTo fight fatigue like an android
Knight fall

At nightfall, the knight fellHumming a song wellKnown to sailorsKnitted into soothsayersBy unfortunate series of eventsBut an iroko can never be bentAnd so the knightRose and knifedThrough the stormy seasArriving at a harbor sealedIn fog, everyone breaks into tearsAs mariners turned masseursKnead his sore shouldersAnd sore cold ears
The Outcast (Page 19)

Our cousin Pomaa lived with us. Mother felt Pomaa had grown too big to be kneaded into her perfect model of a good girl. So, she sent her away. We were going to the city and a lot of old things and old ways had to be left behind. Unknown to us, Pomaa did not…
The Outcast (Page 18)

Whispers. I awoke. Sitting up, I looked around. The windows were open, cold winds ruffling the curtains. The lights were still on. Can’t remember when we dozed off. I rose to turn off the lights, and in the act caught a glimpse of the clock. 12:15am. The whispering must have been in my dreams. Or…
Unbroken streak

The headlamp in the skydims, another day goes byAn unbroken streakThat’s outlived the strong and weak The next chance to trybeams, whether it lays so nighOr buried very deepThat’s for tomorrow to reveal The best tides to rideis sleep, in order to riseOne must sometimes kneelblushed in the harrowing ordeal https://wp.me/p4GQQl-AUR
Mission Impossible

Sarah and Cliff. They’d only been apart for a week and Cliff already had a new woman hanging off his arm. The news was hard to swallow, but it came from a reliable gossip. Cliff must be out of his mind! We set off to his house to give him a piece of our mind.…
Pages flipping

An album, pages flipping as its owner narrated the stories. Of how they met, when he proposed, how many times she turned him down even though she liked him, the games and finally the trophy, which is her ring she got for winning. “What about you, Paul”?“Me? ” I asked, stunned.” Yes! “” Tell us…
The Outcast (Page 17)

Whatever invisible hand that was behind the mysterious incidents had an audacious motive: crush the head, render the rest of the body powerless. Our father was the breadwinner of the family. Mother did odd jobs to support, but the income was fickle. I and my siblings were still young, and even most of the extended…
Thank you, Pooja♥️

Pooja, G. (Lifesfinewhine) has posted a piece of mine on her blog. I am deeply grateful to her for posting my piece. Here’s the link to the post: https://lifesfinewhine.ca/2024/10/11/keep-moving-a-motivational-guest-post/
Date

She told a jokeAs she held up her cokeTo toastIt wasn’t funnyI raised my glass clumsilyAnd smiled, out of courtesy What is courtshipIf one cannot talk shitWithout burning a friendshipTo a crispTelling the truthAnd tight turns, in my hoodFeedback on cooked foodIs never done by the cook https://wp.me/p6HvcB-cbB
The Outcast (Page 16)

We had a new headmaster, a retired district education officer. It seemed the most important lesson he’d learnt during his active years of service was that pupils ought to know hymns. “Gentle Jesus, meek and mild!…” he intoned. He sang it like it meant so much to him. I and my friend Karim would look…
Embracing the twists

Yesterday was a party Today I retire to solitude And uncertainty Embracing it all with gratitude https://wp.me/p4GQQl-AHa
Missing cigarettes

I used to steal from my father’s pack of cigarettes. I hid somewhere to smoke. I remember the sensation as smoke escaped my lips, into the air. It felt great. Especially the effect of the heat on the tongue. This went on for weeks. Little did I know that the old man was aware but…
The Outcast (Page 15)

One day, I was in class seated beside the window, reading a book, when suddenly someone appeared behind the window. “Patrick! Patrick !” a voice whispered, slipping a little paper into my hand as I turned. It was a boy. Before I could open the paper to read its contents, he vanished. A love letter.…
Renewable marriage contract ( Published at The Writers Club)

I am pleased to announce the publication of my fictional piece “Renewable marriage contract” by The Writers Club. I am deeply grateful to the Editor and the team at The Writers Club for showsasing my work. Here is the link to the story : https://greythoughts.info/clubpieces/renewal-marriage-contract
The Outcast (Page 14)

School resumed today. We resumed to dusty classrooms clogged with cobwebs. To old friends who couldn’t wait to share their Christmas experiences. To newcomers around whom we had to act civilised till we were comfortable enough to display our savage side. There were petty quarrels here and there about who owned what desk. But Master…
Sail on time

When you’re ignorant, you make costly mistakes. It can take years to repair the damage. You may choose to sit at one place nursing your hurts or you can take the narrow, difficult, hilly path of confronting yourself and your mistakes. Time is on the constant move. It never stops because your heart is broken.…
The Outcast (Page 13)

New year morning was quiet. Many were tired. School would resume in a few days time but already, I had heard a lot of rumors. That the headmistress had a heated argument with the school proprietor and was sacked. That Willie’s parents had been transferred to the capital Accra, hence he wouldn’t be joining us…
Living in Isolation ( Spillwords Publication )

I am pleased to announce the publication of my essay “Living in Isolation” on Spillwords Press. I am deeply grateful to the Editor Dagmara K. and the team at Spillwords for the publication. As usual, a special thanks to Grace Y. Estevez-Reddy for the encouragement and motivation. Here’s the link to the piece. Kindly read…
The Outcast ( Page 12 )

Pastor Elvis realized that most of the congregation struggled to stay awake. A lot had gone into preparing a special sermon for the last night of the year. Prayer. Fasting. Waiting on the Lord. And it hurt to see people snoring and not paying attention after such efforts. So, in the middle of his preaching,…
The Outcast ( Page 11 )

People talked about the current year as if it were some comet, slowly transporting us into a new year, a new planet where the sun’s rays switched from yellow to green, where perhaps poverty, sicknesses, and death were no more. A new year comes, and same old faces, same neighborhood, same life, same misery. And…
Seasons together

You and Ihave witnessedso many seasons togetherI’ve seen youreturn from townjoyousbursting with newsof an old friendyou run intoand how he had promisedto assist youin your new businessTrue to his wordshe did help youHow we laughedand celebrated that new chapter How disappointing it waswhen we discovered his true colorsAnd what lookedlike a new chapterflipped many pages…
The Outcast ( Page 10 )

Christmas day. The fresh breeze and the bright blue morning light of the tropics looked like a simulation of a fairy world. We woke up to fireworks, amidst “Feliz Navidad” and “Jingle bells” from different corners of our neighborhood. Our first task in the morning as kids was to sweep the rooms and our compound.…
The Outcast ( Page 9 )

Christmas seasons were memorable times. There were a number of reasons why. Certain animation movies were only shown around Christmas time, and they were super exciting to watch. There were special family movies around the same time. I remember one Sunday we returned from Sunday school to meet an unusual film on Ghana Television. It…
The Outcast ( Page 8 )

The day all pupils looked forward to after exams was the vacation, the last day of school popularly known as “Our Day”. When exams was over and teachers were busy marking and recording exam scripts, we used papers to design all kinds of objects to decorate our classroom. The good artists in class drew scenes…
The Outcast ( Page 7 )

A few weeks after my election as class prefect, we had exams. End of term examination. All desks were spaced out. No copying. And we were to take our bags outside the class. Our teacher invigilated. Before every paper, he would write the subject and the duration of the paper on the board. In the…
The Outcast ( Page 6)

The noisemakers in the class wanted someone lenient, forgiving and easy to persuade as the leader of the class. Their long awaited opportunity finally came one morning during ‘silence hour’, when the headmistress burst into our class. The class was alive with mischief, chaos and noise. Surely we were going to be punished. Severely. Make…
The Outcast ( Page 5)

Tuesday morning. Time for school. After staying at home for some days, my fees were finally paid. My siblings were lucky, theirs had been paid before those who owed fees were dismissed from school. Now, a certain picture was taking shape in my mind. The more I thought about it, the more I realized it…
The Outcast ( Page 4 )

Our hair was a little over two months, and even lice that had lived in the bushy hair for so long were growing weary of getting lost every now and then in the thickening thicket they once called home. We went to knock on the door of our parents’ room. Without answering, they knew it…
Enigma

Her attitude towards me and the gift she gave me. An enigma. I was leaving the country. A rather embarrassing exit. Things hadn’t work out like I hoped. But life goes on. As I stood at the bus station, about leaving in a few minutes, I hugged her, said a few final words and got…
The Outcast ( Page 3)

I was finally home. Without changing my uniform, I went straight to the TV. Thankfully, my parents were out. Serving myself a steamy plate of jollof rice and a glass of chilled Zonkom, a local drink mother had made the previous day, I sat down to enjoy my meal and the nollywood thriller on Metro…
The Outcast ( Page 2 )

Teaching usually started after 8am, right after morning assembly. And the hours before classes started, they were called “silence hour”. During this period, pupils who were present at school were numbered. The teachers on duty for the week would then storm classroom after classroom in the course of the day, fishing out late comers and…
The Outcast ( Page 1)

“J’ai envie de t’adorer ! ” A piercing voice echoed through the chilly harmattan. “Ready, sing!” The prefect on duty conducted. Soon, a million croaking voices chanted madly. “Stop! Stop!…” One teacher interrupted, a couple of whips landing simultaneously on the backs of Tunde and Tijani who were disrupting proceedings at the morning assembly. We…
It’s never late

We destroy ourselves in many ways we do not realize. See how prettier and healthier we get by making conscious efforts to exercise regularly. See what knowledge you and I can acquire to better our lives by constantly reading wide. See the many things we can get done with little time when we cultivate the…
New Day, New beginning

Like children learning to walk, we fall, rise, fall again before finally finding our feet. Nobody beats a child for attempting to walk and not doing so perfectly on the first try. Why are we sometimes hard on ourselves for mistakes we’ve made? Learn. Move on. And promise yourself to do better next time. Today…
Shine

Invasive lightsfrom mighty heightspenetrate the darkdistinct like a dog’s barkat midnight A pair of palmsstocks of armsand swarms of antscan never stopthe shine of a rising sun
Dilemma

The fortune-teller reshuffled the cardsI pulled out oneA bereaved sparrow on a rooftopNot a good cardI contemplated the contents for a whilebefore handing it backDropping a coin into his bowlI walked awaytoo saddened to be distractedby the sudden commotionat the market square Why invest in somethingThat will only be washed awayOver timeLike a sand castle…
Glistening in the distance

Maskyour hurtsTurn your backto all they’ve saidbehind you The mask will chafeIts pain will fadeNo condition is here to stayYou’ll soon forget your sorrowful daysAnd what the wasted years took away Glistening in the distance, a medallionRaise your head, tough stallionObstacles do not define a championEven if they seem unmovable like Mt. ZionEven if they…
Only a spectator

In the mist, muffled stomping of a horse’s feetThe sound grows louder, bursting through the fogunto the cold, wooden bridge in the form of a hysterical horseinfected by the spirit of its rider. As the neighing fades, I stare, bewilderedOnly a spectator till I’m a victimWhat can I hope forWhen I do not understand? https://wp.me/p4GQQl-zvd
What have we grown into?

A child in my class walked up to me and told me that he spotted me walking to school and he told his dad to pick me up in their car but his father said they were late and the stop would delay them further. It’s the second time on two separate occasions he’s told…
SpillWords Publication

I am pleased to announce the publication of my piece “There is a place for everything” on SpillWords Press Special thanks to the Chief Editor Dagmara. K., the Team at SpillWords Press and to Grace Y. Estevez ( Grace of the Sun ) through whom I got to know of SpillWords. Here is the link:…
When courage frays at the seams

Like a clockAmbitions chimeLike a frogI’ll take one leap at a time Turning back seemsInviting, but forward is forwardEven when courage frays at the seamsAnd pressing on seems awkward I’ll pat my own backAnd carry on with faltering stepsOn this narrow pathWith its twists and turns
*Akwaaba

Kwame shifted his eyes from the fly buzzing against the glass window to the stack of dirty clothes on the floor, then to Amina who thought she had found a good listener, a listener whose mind was far away, as far back as the years he thought his dreams were made of sand, to be…
Gadji’s wife

Gadji’s wife, Olivia, needed a nanny. The girls were off to boarding school a few weeks after she gave birth to her only boy. Soon, her in-laws would be visiting. She had sent a message to her mother to come and spend some days with her as the business of housekeeping was becoming overly burdensome.…
A stone at God

The stillness of a lazy afternoonInterrupted by the hissing of bulletsFrom a thirsty gunCoughing and bleeding regretsWriting on woundsThe story of a lone riderOf virgin loveAnd uncultivated passionsOf a young lady he tried to bendInto a sweet marriageA marriage broken andSullied with infidelityHis reward for sheltering an old friendAnd for loving a womanA hot court…
This is your land

This land belongs to all of usLet us not sit idleAnd watch savage dogsTear it apartIf our leader is an iron beastWith no emotionsWe must show himThe road to the zooWe may fly to greener pasturesBut let us rememberTo come back homeAnd build our motherlandin rubblesThanks to talented thievesin our officesWith long noses and empty…
She is mine

She’s been mineSince nineShe’s thirty and still thirstyOf my affection Cold and dusty hazeTried to turnOur relationshipInto an old and rusty cage Our love will not be tamedEven if it were caughtIn the metal teeth of a trapOur bond will never break https://wp.me/paf3ao-i9d
A moving song

My next-door neighbor. She was humming. A moving song. Never heard her sing. I lay on my bed listening, wondering what trouble kept her awake this late night, singing to herself. Suddenly, something drummed against my roof. Rain! Without warning? I rushed out to take clothes off the line and in the process, bumped into…
It’s no coincidence

Life is a long lecture. You may choose to sleep in class, but you will eventually wake up to find your mates ahead of you and bills to settle, including lessons you’ve missed. Nothing is free. A new life costs lots of pains to birth. Whenever you are fed up with an old life and…
Bloom with cheerfulness

Funtime and sunshinePotions to help cope with daily motionsDon’t wanna look back when oldWondering, where did the days go?My wrinkled face, an attraction of gloominessLike money magnet Why let time slip byWhile you sit, doting on silly notionsSpread from head to toeThat all worries must lose teeth and holdOn your happinessBefore you can bloom with…
One starless night

Dark melodies, playing over and over all night from a nearby cottage. Anna sat in their little farmhouse, attention fixed on Grandpa recounting dreadful tales best left untold, and hoping that evil spirits will catch a whiff of the incense mother was burning and be warded off. “For years she had no news of her…
Fertile connections ?

To passers-by, this was luggage. To Awal, it was his destiny wrapped in a box, carried on his shoulder. What he once called homeland is now a stretch of empty hopes he’s given up chasing. Initially, when the idea of abandoning his shop first occured to him, he thought it was his impatience speaking to…
On the airwaves

It’s Earl Nightingale on the airwaves and his talks of strange secrets.As I listen, my mind wonder off. It’s been three years now since I left home for greener pastures. The pasture here is no greener than that of home. Damn! And I haven’t saved. Only once have I sent money home. Shame on me…
Sip by sip

Strong facesare baked in tough ovensAnd tough feeton rough roadsYou and Ihave come from afarAnd if this strugglemust mean somethingwe’ve got to hold ontill the very endThose who have come a long waystarted out with a single stepfollowed by anotherIf you must drink this bitter cuptake it sip by sip
Date

It was weird. The food, the music and her attire that evening. What was on her mind? There was something odd about her movements as she served the food. The food tasted nice. She didn’t use most of the spices on the market. Chemicals. And chemicals have become the bulk of what we eat these…
She isn’t picking up

She isn’t picking up. Just like yesterday. Everything seems normal till it’s late night. That’s when it all starts. Is she seeing someone? He sighs. He shouldn’t be the only one calling and texting all the time. Yesterday she said her phone’s battery was empty. That was why when his call went through for a…
Old walls

Where has she gone?The little girl singing in the rainSailing in the sandPlaying in the sunWith a smileRadiating innocence and purity Where has it gone?The beautyThat sons and loversOnce flocked to seeOne admirer getting a black eyeFor all his troubles Where has she gone?The fair LadyFace of glitz and glamourIn the citiesIn the sixtiesIdol of…
Beyond the noise

Whatever new field you enter, it will be filled with noise. The noise of beginners like you, pushing hard every day and making very little progress. You are not the first in this field, neither will you be the last. But remember, the footprints you leave behind, will be like no other’s. Keep in mind…
Perhaps

It was her first time visiting him. She was hesitant in going, wondering how he would react to the ugly scars and stretch marks on her back, buttocks and breasts. Pretty face. Fine body shape. But many did not know what she sees when she stands before a mirror, naked. It was the reason she…
Hope chimes

LostIn the search for selfLostMany friends wounded inadvertentlyLostSo many years learning so littleLostTrying to make meaning of failuresLostAll energy in staging a comeback LikeMidnight bells, hope chimesLikeA morning star, I shall ariseLikeThe blazing sun, I shall shine againLikeA raging bull, I shall win this race https://lifeafter50forwomen.com/2023/06/26/what-do-you-see-192-june-26-2023/
Youth and priorities

Fresh haircutFeels like he’s won a lotteryHis face, lit with sheepish joyAs he runs through the rainThe attention of amused onlookersA canned drink in his right handOff to impress some local girlWith his wicked haircutYouth and prioritiesWill soon grow upAnd outgrow all these https://wp.me/p4GQQl-ser
A collection of memories

me, over thereon grandma’s lapsGeorgina, our puppy,the house help,didn’t knowa picture was being taken he. he’s no more. snakebite here, under these treeswe held a simple prayer ceremonybringing along food and drinksand flowersplucked from trees along the roadwas the custom every Christmas there! mom in her teensher once pretty facenow taken overby cobwebs of wrinkles…
Be in constant motion

Life is a test. A test of principles. A test of philosophies. A test of character. No matter how hard a boxer trains, it is only in the ring that he can truly assess the quality of his training. The only way to see the weakness in the sermons you preach is by living them.…
foggy path

she strutted through the open doorto a photograph on the room walla supermodel in a nude pose starreddown at hershe had come to say goodbyeto years gone by every girlhe’s tried to bendinto a relationship, brokeno choice but to let it all goseems he too had come to the terminusof writhing in wrath and endless…
Flight mode activated

Eve of RamadanGrandmothers, children and half a villagePursue a sheep in flightLucky runners winning blisters from hot collisions along the way“Catch me if you can!”The sheep seems to bleat in mockeryAs it narrowly misses sticks and insultsHurled at itThe villagers pursue harderMumbling prayersMumbling strengthFrom Allah the Most Merciful
If you believe

in every heroyou saw yourself, Rambo,Van Dame, Beastmaster,Schwarzenegger, Texas Rangerand the hustler in a ghettowho believed in a brighter tomorrow why have you let a few tearsyou’ve shed over the yearsdampen your belief in yourselfand steal the joy in goals you’ve set?give ignitiononce again, to your ambitions autumn is timefor shedding leaves, go ahead and…
Temptation

have you seen a Phariseein a pharmacy?ever heard of a rattlesnakein a milkshake?or an ice creamfrom a wet dream? saw it in a Hollywoodmovie staged in InglewoodCaliforniawhere the protagonist had herniawho ever thoughthis idle mind would be the next stop for a devil on a guilt tripsuch a weird filmof how unbriddled inclinationscould be tools…
wind of change

unspoken ruleswoven into lightening whipsland mercilessly on the backsof storm cloudsthey charge across the skylike chariots of fireracing after the windit’s a race for timein a wind of changedisguised as a thunderstormwhich won’t be here for long https://amanpan.blog/2022/09/27/moonwashed-weekly-prompt-thunderstorm-september-27-2022/
call me Caesar

call me Caesarruler of the wild and unconventionalanointed with scars into a starand symbol of dominionmy genes are allergic to defeatborn to keep risingbecause kings do not falleven in the noise of warmthand comfortwe hear the call of the wildto return to the greatnesswe livedon rough roadsin tough jungles https://lifeafter50forwomen.com/2022/09/26/what-do-you-see-153-september-262022/
#NatureSpeaks: 30 Poems in 30 Days – Day 1: Hot Ashes, by Benjamin Nambu

These same streets of loveYou once roamedWith your head bowedStewing in the hot ashesOf burnt hopesIn these same streetsYou shall walk againHead raisedAs if to see what the narrow pathAnd heat were trying to revealLessons and blessings, nestlingIn ashes Hot Ashes was inspired by the poem Butterfly Love. You can read more of Benjamin Nambu’s…
One sea, Two scenes

Birds on a seashoreTweeting gleefully, like kids on a seesawFamiliar notes, like those of a theme songPositive vibes, for the weak and strong Waves, heaving like a sleeping dragonIts patience, creaking like a weeping wagonFuming, like a seething PythonAll its theatrics, fleeting, bygone https://amanpan.blog/2022/09/20/moonwashed-weekly-prompt-theatrics-september-20-2022/
How does it feel?

What does it meanto be a mother? To what can labor pains be comparedfor a man to understand? How does it feelto mother ingratitude,to raise an ungrateful child? How does it feelafter 9 monthsof 9 hellsto be unwelcomed homeby an abusive husband? How does a mother feelseeing her childthat reminds herof how far they bothhave…
Festival of dreams

Inhabitants of villages in the darknessof a dark continentof black peoplewith dark hopesin the city of lights for the first timethe mesmerizing effectsmake a people feel guiltyfor staining the bedazzling sightwith their inferior skin and identitythey wonderif there’s space in the lightfor the blacksomewhere in the massesstands a little black boyblind to critics, racists,politricks,politics, and…
Eighteen Long Years ( Published at MasticadoresUSA )

I am pleased to announce that my poem “Eighteen Long Years” has been published at MasticadoresUSA. I would like to thank Gabriella Marie Milton and the team at MasticadoresUSA for showcasing my piece. Special thanks to Grace Y. Estevez ( GraceoftheSun ) Here’s the link to the poem: https://wp.me/pbttrx-18O
seventies

born in the ninetiesattached to anything antiquewatching a music video of the 70sa disco in Cape Towndazzling streets, hypnotizing sounds of artists, young, gifted, and blackmusicians with incredible knackfor releasing subtly lustful trackstracks on weedfor dancers on heat vanityinsanityof the seventiesfantasies ofa nineties born https://lifeafter50forwomen.com/2022/09/12/what-do-you-see-151-september-12-2022/
Lazy days

Lazy days by Enya lilted through the MP4 player beside the window to Alice’s heavy bluish blanket covering her body, sipping through its microscopic pores into her drowsy ears, and into her dreams. She was sick of England and needed a switch. Her intuition and map both agreed Lagos Nigeria was the wonderland. Here she…
Motives

Sieving my motives Saturated with subtle pride Strong-scented self-centeredness and the like Stuck to my intentions like emojis Written for RXC:PROMPT #247, hosted by Reena
Evening

An audience of trees and wild beasts Sit in darkness Watching the lit giant sky screen As rafts of gilded clouds Waft towards the blazing sun Like aircraft returning To a warship https://amanpan.blog/2022/09/06/moonwashed-challenge-gilded-september-6-2022/
Wooden smile

Like a window into the world of the ancients, the statue of Aya stood in the evergreen virgin forest. Her eyes seem to follow you as you move around her. Her heaving chest, rhythmic with that of anyone who came close to her. She was a piece of a fairy tale that extended into reality.…
Like men that dreamed

Is this Salemor another Harlem?Looks like a priest in a frockOnce stood there, flocked By masses seeking greener pasturesBattling cold, hunger and fracturesFrom ethnic clashesAnd backlashes The stones there, perhaps for namesThat bravely fought for their fameMaybe this ground symbolized toil, screamsLoss, and the fulfilment of long lost dreams https://lifeafter50forwomen.com/
It’s great to be alive

The birds rise in unison Hugging and hooting the arriving winds They skate on the soft south winds Across the shimmering river below Some of them occasionally pooping Into vantage points in the river As the inspiration within guides Living their life mission Doodled into their genes It’s great to be alive!
A boat of ghosts

Whatever you’ve mastered, it has its limits. There comes a point in your journey where you feel like a child. As if all the knowledge you’ve acquired is nothing, some sort of child play you’ve been doing all along, deceiving yourself that you are the best. It takes humility to sit, under the feet of…
Drink extra

Some take alcohol To give them courage To carry out daunting tasks A person must drink extra If ordinary must be done extraordinarily That’s why I drink inspiration In suicidal doses Got a big life to live https://amanpan.blog/2022/08/23/moonwashed-challenge-ambitious-august-23-2022/
Flash

Rain. Lightening. A glimpse of his foot in an old shoe trekking a familiar road. Reminds him of the old oversized overalls he wore, and his affinity to antiquity which the rain seemed determined to wash away. Flash of lightning. Reveals an approaching shadow that arrives and greets. No responds. This was no time for…
A wild child

A wild bird is away Grandma casts perfunctory glances every now and then At its home She’s heating the hearth The smoke snakes out through the window Stinging impotently at the thick foggy air outside Wild bird roaming the woods like a wild child Will soon spot the fumes Beckoning it to return home To…
Have you heard?

A boy of Teeth so big as if with secrets That two lips could not keep together Teeth so long They made the day of all kids that met them You can imagine the relief of the little boy When Babylon finally fell When Mother Nature fired those clowns Oh what joy! Those incisors have…
A Stone Is Coming ( Published by The Writers Club )

My short story “A Stone Is Coming” has been published by The Writers Club. I deeply appreciate their job of promoting writers and especially for publishing my piece. I would be grateful if you could visit the link below to read the flash fiction : https://greythoughts.info/clubpieces/a-stone-is-coming A special thanks once again to Grace Y. Estevez…
Juliet

8 O’Clock. He’s getting late. Still upstairs. On the first floor. There! His window. He walks down the stairs, halfway, he climbs up to hug and kiss his wife. Comes down. Runs up again. He’s possessed. Of love. Romantic. Like his red scooter. https://cyranny.com/2022/08/10/august-10th-1minfiction-challenge/
Love

In the beginning Love was deeper Than the expression, “I love you”. In the middle Young people thought They could reinvent love In the end Love became twisted Like the devil’s ass https://godoggocafe.com/2022/08/16/tuesday-writing-prompt-challenge-august-16-2022/
Thousand Years

The moon sits Like a firstborn whose place has been taken By her father’s sun Simply because she is a woman August night is her birthnight And no star is here to give her wishes Even the ducks have turned their backs on her Take solace, opalescent moon Breathless and sultry On a humid August…
Riddle, Riddle

She knew her curiosity would one day kill her. She just didn’t know how it was going to happen. What is magic? Is it of the devil, God or human scheming? If she asked the magicians, they would speak in favor of magic. If she asked a devout priest, the priest might condemn it. What…
Peace

Tell my little kids Mama wishes them the best in life Tell all my friends who believed in me That I’m sorry Tell those who stabbed me in the back That I forgive them My clansmen have a saying That when travelling Hold no grudges Peace, I leave with you https://lifeafter50forwomen.com/2022/08/15/what-do-you-see-147-august-15-2022/
Patriotism ( Published at The Writers Club )

Death In the belly of a bomber Floating across the sky As if contemplating The morality of what it is about to do Suddenly, Rains down hell Upon mothers and their children And fathers returning from hunting daily bread Brothers, sisters, and grandmothers burn up Like piles of firewood The screams of little children burning…
Jigsaw Puzzle

Initially planned to spend the night at the reading room on campus. Change of plans. Returning back to hostel. Out of fuel. Broke. Hours of concentration on books without food was draining me. Losing my mind. While bypassing the International Students Hostel, I had an idea. Search through the dustbin beside the hostel. These were…
A living canvass

A soothing song sat softly on her mind all day and wouldn’t leave, like the way her story was trapped in that old dress and wouldn’t fade. The moving notes guided her fingers groping the margins of her heart for the right words to describe what that dress had come to symbolize for her. Although…
Travel and C

Travel and see We’ve travelled and we’ve seen That stories of love and of heart breaks Are respecters of no race Travel and see We’ve travelled and we’ve seen What we took for granted Back home Travel and see We’ve travelled and we’ve seen That lands falling behind us as we traveled Were not just…
Aching for a walk

It’s a hazy Friday afternoon End of a long fasting and prayer Under mango trees in the bush Hurrying home ahead of my parents To break my fast before my fast breaks me Having filled my belly, my legs ache for a walk In the stretches of vast Savannah grasslands I stroll in the woods,…