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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…
