Category: For the road
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Next step
The higher the heightThe deeper the discomfort of climbingThe next step is the reward of the previousThe longer the steps upwardsThe bigger the reward
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So it has come to this
(I met a group of friends begging on the streets to support the family of their deceased friend in defraying the costs of burial, showing his picture to passersby. And I was inspired to write this poem) So it has come to thisBegging money on the streetsTo bury an old friendHis family sitsUnder empty canopiesWaiting…
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After many years
“Wow. People change,” Samson thought, suddenly feeling proud of himself. Samson remembered the first day he saw Angela and the short see-through dress she wore that day. He still remembers her inviting glossy lips that he fought hard to not stare at. And that seductive perfume of hers he kept wondering what brand it could…
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wet wood
Wood refuses to catch fireIt’s wetBeen raining these past few daysDrying up will take some timeBut the sun will surely comeWill surely shineWood and fire will embrace once moreIn crackling laughter Without warningThe promising tree is chopped downTo begin from scratch, begin from the bottomBut like it’s done beforeWith little drops of waterWind and sunshineGreen…
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One day they’ll understand
Outsiders do not understandThey’re quick to judgeQuick to pass commentsBut at this stage of my lifeI wear a hard shieldInsensitive to attacksInsensitive to criticismsNot bothered what they sayBehind me, and in my faceLiving my lifeDoing my jobLeaving my critics to do theirsI don’t see any conflictOne day they’ll understandIf only they’ll grow
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Respect everybody
The little things of yesterday Grow to become important The confusion of yesterday Clears, and wisdom grows In its placeIgnorance is not staticFools grow wise over timeThese tiny little plants That are indistinguishable From one anotherGrow into thick, giant treesA mighty forestDespise no oneDiscriminate against no oneUnderestimate no oneThere is no soul that has no…
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This road is hard
This road is hard It’s a test Of my own principles Who sent me To preach things I cannot practice And say things I lack the commitment To do? This road is rough And now that I take it I understand Why so many shun it I shall journey it And leave footprints Of one…
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Players know
Players knowThat out of every hundred shots takenAt least onehits the targetTo playersRejections are normalAnd losingIs nothing personalThey understandThat it’s part of the game
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Embracing the twists
Yesterday was a party Today I retire to solitude And uncertainty Embracing it all with gratitude https://wp.me/p4GQQl-AHa
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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…
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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…
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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
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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…
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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…
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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
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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
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#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…
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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…
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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…
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Tips for runners
You will rise one day. And when you do, people will envy you. They won’t remember your sleepless nights, days of starvation, days you’ve been broke. All they will see, will be the comfort that seemed to have come to you so easily and how disadvantaged they are, to just sit and stare. Not all…
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Talent Management
I know a rapper who was so talented that I couldn’t believe there will be any point in his music career where his popularity would wane. Unfortunately, he’s begun falling gradually and I was so sad to see it. To me, the problem is mentorship. When artists get to that point where they are managers…
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No Limit
Sometimes getting some things done is like getting unto a moving bus. The longer you wait, the more speed the bus picks up. And there are certain buses once you miss, you might as well give up on wherever you think you are going. What sometimes keeps you from implementing very good ideas you come…
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You are going somewhere
Tomorrow has brighter opportunities for you than today has, but tomorrow is less forgiving of your mistakes than today is. With time, you meet better and more influential friends. Certain selling out you did in your past, some nasty words that occasionally slip from your mouth in anger, learn your lessons and bury here, today,…
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They sing their wisdom
Have you heard a song full of silly ideas sung with so much passion? “Incredible!” You said to yourself. Don’t be shocked, my friend. The musicians sing their wisdom. And wisdom is like money in one’s pocket. If you don’t have enough, you can’t display much. You may work and earn more but presently, you…
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Recycled Clown
Mistakes are like unplanned pregnancies. The womb does not discriminate which child to contain and which one to reject on the basis that it was by accident. The womb gives equal care to all because whether by accident or by choice, every unborn child has the potential to grow into a full human, without any…
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What interpretations do you assign to your problems?
Our interpretations of our problems, life experiences and circumstances in which we find ourselves are prophetic. Do you assume you are under a curse or paying for past sins when you are going through difficulties? Think positive. Say positive things about yourself. Speak positive things into your circumstances. Prophesy great things over your life. You…
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Are you complicated?
There are many people who will easily fall in love with your personality. To them, it’s hard to believe such a sweet person like you exist. You probably grew up or work with people who remind you constantly of your imperfections and you’ve formed the opinion that it’s hard to find someone who truly understands…
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Pay attention
Pay attention to how you react to stress. One time my problems were so overwhelming, I cut my sim card into two and threw it away. For weeks, I was out of reach. The brief period of shutting myself from the rest of the world helped me heal emotionally very quickly. All the connections to…
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Patience
A farmer has a cutlass in hand, before him stretches of grass to be mowed. The heat from the sun is enervating, yet he pays no attention. He pays no attention, to his aching back and waist. He is not discouraged by the little work done so far as against the vast unfinished job ahead.…
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True Heroes
You will never be prepared enough to take on any new task. Close your eyes. Move. The heat will ripen you. You are a true hero if with nothing as capital to start up your life, you can lend the perseverance in your empty pocket to one defeat after another till your name becomes a…
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Let the sparks fly
They hear “secular music”. I hear talent. I hear creativity. I hear genius. And I ask myself, ” This music could still be great without the nudity in its video and the obscene language degrading it. Why can’t the artist see it?” They say, “This is porn. Do not watch it”. And as I stare…
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Windows into God
God communicates less with words. He speaks more through pain. Learn to listen. He speaks through circumstances. Pay attention. He lives in your thought processes. Think back and recognize his invisible feet, trekking your thoughts, leading you to decisions and places you know not how you arrived there. The concept of impossibilities does not make…
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Seasons
You are like a tree. If you keep moving from one job to another, from one church to another, from one country to another, from one relationship to another or switching businesses every now and then, you won’t give yourself the opportunity to grow. Give everything a chance. Give that relationship a chance. Give that…
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One day – motivational piece
One day you will meet someone who still has an attitude you gave up a long time ago when you saw that it brought about no progress to your life. It will be a sign. A sign of how far you’ve come. A sign of progress. A warrior once had to lie half naked in…
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Brighter day
No food Rent Failing health Overwhelming debts No job Painful breakup Lonely Feel left behind Discouraged… Stay calm Keep calm There’ll be a brighter day
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I will tell you something
Whatever you are passionate about, be at it everyday, constantly improving yourself. Be it writing, acting, dressmaking, soap making, photography or catering, find new ways of becoming better at what you do everyday. Don’t let anyone look down on what you do. No matter how ordinary your job might seem, no matter how insignificant what…
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Stay
Quit, if you can take it no longer. But, don’t forget one thing: this relationship can work if you are truly willing to give it all it will take. Give up on your daily hustle for a better tomorrow, if the pain is too much to bare. But, there’s one thing you would have missed:…
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It is a sign – Motivational piece
When you are so determined to achieve your goals, you will face many obstacles. And a point will come when you wonder if you are on the right track, if pushing through is really worth the effort. You may feel others are born lucky whereas you are disadvantaged. If you were to make an adult…
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Voices – Inspirational piece
Next time you stare at yourself in a mirror, take this towel, this poem. Wipe off the criticisms and negativity spat on your face : rebellious, arrogant, insensitive, childish, stupid, weird… So that you can see yourself as you truly are : invincible, tough, fearless, survival legend. Others are making it – new house, new…
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Without words – A Motivational Piece
Jesus tells us that whatever we ask in prayer in His name and believe we shall receive, it shall be granted us. God lives in our heart and the desires and aspirations and big dreams that live there too with Him were put there because we are uniquely designed with the capabilities to bring them…
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Deep waters – motivation
You held tightly to opportunity. You begged her to stay but she refused and slipped through your hands and left, leaving behind her rainbow-tinted scarf in your hands. Keep that souvenir. Keep those lessons. One day in looking for that missed opportunity, you will need to show that scarf to people. You will meet someone…
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Fruits🍒 🍑 🍓- An Insight
Fruits. They do not lie. Unless you cannot distinguish a pineapple from a porcupine. A person can hide secret text messages from you, hide a secret relationship from you. Hide monies they’ve been stealing from your business or gossip behind your back. The truth, a form of fruits, is like a dead fowl drowned under…
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A seat reserved for you – a motivational piece
Just before you master a new job or task, your duties usually seem overwhelming and if you listen to your instincts, you might think giving up is the best thing to do. That is the very moment you need to hold on. For soon, you get used to the task that initially seemed unbearable. It…
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One day – motivational piece
One day you will meet someone who still has an attitude you gave up a long time ago when you saw that it brought about no progress to your life. It will be a sign. A sign of how far you’ve come. A sign of progress. A warrior once had to lie half naked in…
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You are dying slowly.
You are bleeding. You are losing blood. You are losing life. You are leaving us little by little. You are looking too far ahead, far ahead to that day when you too can relax and have your money work for you, to have others work for you – a day and time when you will…
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Fire for fire 🔥
Maybe you made a commitment to no longer fornicate or masturbate. Unfortunately, you keep slipping into the habit again and again. Right after committing the act, the last thing on your mind is to pray, read your Bible or go to church. It is shameful to open up to someone and it is especially hard…
Diary of a Wanderer 