Dedicated to the women who live next door (my neighbours); Dedicated to the men who behave like these neighbours of mine; Dedicated to all those who've, painstakingly, learnt the art of twisting words!
Women gather,
Mouths twitching,
Tongues softening,
Ready for the long,
Volley of words,
They will partake.
So and So is,
Such and Such was,
When and What will,
Tongues flip,
Mouths untiring,
A glass of water does the trick.
Someone said:
Gossip is one way of getting info,
(But) If you sip it,
You might buy a pig in a poke,
A big, black, lard-laden pig!
How twisted the alphabet is!
How twisted the world is!
How twisted our meeting places are!
How twisted our agenda is!
The how, the where and the what are all damn twisted.
Wavy Words Search Engine
Custom Search
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Black, Bleak Christmas
This poem (which I wrote in 1999) is in memory of my uncle who was murdered in Nairobi in the same year. He was one of the actors in the Vioja Mahakamani show on KBC. His name (on the set) was "Mutiso". His real name was " Peter Kimunio". My mother died two months before him. To both of you, I miss you.
'Twas on twenty first of December,
The year nineteen hundred and ninety nine,
When my dear charming uncle, Mutiso,
Gave up his ghost to the unknown.
'Heard over the T.V,
That he was murdered,
By unknown assailants,
Just outside his house.
Oh no!
They should have let you,
See Christmas,
Or even the new millenium.
Why did they come for you?
Why had you done to them?
Or is it devilish envy,
Of your superb acting capabilities?
It surely is a black Christmas for us,
And all those who knew you,
As for me,
It is double black.
My mum and you,
Have gone away,
In the course of this year,
That surely is double black.
May those who killed you, uncle,
Be caught up by the law,
May they not know peace,
Someone agree with me, please!
'Twas on twenty first of December,
The year nineteen hundred and ninety nine,
When my dear charming uncle, Mutiso,
Gave up his ghost to the unknown.
'Heard over the T.V,
That he was murdered,
By unknown assailants,
Just outside his house.
Oh no!
They should have let you,
See Christmas,
Or even the new millenium.
Why did they come for you?
Why had you done to them?
Or is it devilish envy,
Of your superb acting capabilities?
It surely is a black Christmas for us,
And all those who knew you,
As for me,
It is double black.
My mum and you,
Have gone away,
In the course of this year,
That surely is double black.
May those who killed you, uncle,
Be caught up by the law,
May they not know peace,
Someone agree with me, please!
Welling Memories
Tears welled in my eyes,
As I thought,
Of memories long gone,
Memories that still linger.
I was once,
A small boy of pity,
Who was helpless,
And depended, for support, on mother.
When the boy next door,
Came brandishing his fist,
I scurried to mother calling,
And only insulted at her side.
I was jeered at,
By other boys,
Who had the energy to waste,
Playing their dirty paper ball!
The slightest,
Bullying and punching,
Broke my heart of glass,
And hot tears streamed my cheeks.
How vulnerable I was,
How puerile, really,
Least did I know,
It was the 'naturalest' of things.
But now I am old,
I know it so very well,
That struggle is the purpose,
Of our mortal lives.
That is the lesson,
Of growing from childhood,
To the 'adult world',
I know it only too well.
As I thought,
Of memories long gone,
Memories that still linger.
I was once,
A small boy of pity,
Who was helpless,
And depended, for support, on mother.
When the boy next door,
Came brandishing his fist,
I scurried to mother calling,
And only insulted at her side.
I was jeered at,
By other boys,
Who had the energy to waste,
Playing their dirty paper ball!
The slightest,
Bullying and punching,
Broke my heart of glass,
And hot tears streamed my cheeks.
How vulnerable I was,
How puerile, really,
Least did I know,
It was the 'naturalest' of things.
But now I am old,
I know it so very well,
That struggle is the purpose,
Of our mortal lives.
That is the lesson,
Of growing from childhood,
To the 'adult world',
I know it only too well.
If That's What It Takes
Time and again,
I have been told,
"Men never cry,
They brave it courageously."
Men are the leaders,
The heads with heads,
As hard as stone,
That will never crack.
But least do they know,
That they also have emotions,
Without a cry they might fry,
In the pan of insanity.
If that's what it takes,
To become a man,
I had better become a free bird,
Which isn't as bird.
I have been told,
"Men never cry,
They brave it courageously."
Men are the leaders,
The heads with heads,
As hard as stone,
That will never crack.
But least do they know,
That they also have emotions,
Without a cry they might fry,
In the pan of insanity.
If that's what it takes,
To become a man,
I had better become a free bird,
Which isn't as bird.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
The Failure Syndrome: Don't Let It Infect You
When you mention failure, some people cringe, some cower and others twist their noses in a manner likely to suggest that failure is not their lot in life (and can never even dare come their way!). What sanctimonious pride!
There have been hyped messages suggesting (even dragging it to the "fact" list) that failure is part of life. Some have even gone to the extent of quoting what famous men (Sir Winston Churchill and his ilk) said about failure and take it that without failure one is as good as dead.
Being puffed up with the pride of knowing as many quotes as possible on failure and saying that you "fail forwards on the road to success" while, in essence, you are doing nothing to salvage matters, will not, and does not, help save face.
To come to terms with failure, we have to deal with the core causes first. We do court failure some of the time, giving it the time and space to bare its fangs. When we vacillate, its venom is injected into our systems paralyzing them.
Is failure staring you in the face?
Check these faucets:
Time:
How do you use your time? Time is one of the most precious things all people are equally endowed with. Use it wisely and prudently. Plan well to make maximum profits from time invested.
• Don't ruminate over 'tomorrow' today at the expense of what has to be accomplished 'today'. Otherwise, you'll spend your 'tomorrow' regretting why you didn't do what you ought to have done 'today'. That's a wasted resource that can never, ever, be recovered.
Opportunities:
The proverb 'Fortune knocks once at every man's door' has a subtle warning attached to it. Look at it twice and you'll see it: If you don't take up opportunity when it knocks, chances are that it won't come knocking again. Take opportunities for what they are: Gems on the scoreboard of success, and run with them to their utter limits.
Bulldog Tenacity:
• You have to relentlessly pursue opportunities and relationships that have positive impacts on you performance. Without such a quality, some obstacles would mean the end of your journey to success. Hold on, fight through (snarl, if you can) and victory is yours for the taking.
Relationships:
• No man is an island. You need people in order to advance your career. You need people to help you through. You need to lie on someone's shoulder for comfort and support. You desperately need people around you for approval (and criticism!)
• You can never wish to get the best from people around you if your relationship with them is shaky and feigned.
• Treat people well, show them that you care and you'll be surprised how they respond when you need them to help you out.
• Treating people well involves listening to them and valuing their input and effort.
Trust and Integrity:
Being a man or a woman of integrity will open many doors for you. This is simply because most people like associating with people whom they can trust (of course there are others who have an acrid view towards faithfulness and integrity).
• Let people trust you with their money, secrets and well being. You need this in your quest for success.
People's Mistakes:
• Try to know the reasons that made some people fail (in a certain venture, for instance) and purpose, with your heart of hearts, not to make the same mistakes. In essence, learn from other people's mistakes.
Failure is like a roaring lion that roams about seeking for prey to devour. At all costs, let the prey not be you.
There have been hyped messages suggesting (even dragging it to the "fact" list) that failure is part of life. Some have even gone to the extent of quoting what famous men (Sir Winston Churchill and his ilk) said about failure and take it that without failure one is as good as dead.
Being puffed up with the pride of knowing as many quotes as possible on failure and saying that you "fail forwards on the road to success" while, in essence, you are doing nothing to salvage matters, will not, and does not, help save face.
To come to terms with failure, we have to deal with the core causes first. We do court failure some of the time, giving it the time and space to bare its fangs. When we vacillate, its venom is injected into our systems paralyzing them.
Is failure staring you in the face?
Check these faucets:
Time:
How do you use your time? Time is one of the most precious things all people are equally endowed with. Use it wisely and prudently. Plan well to make maximum profits from time invested.
• Don't ruminate over 'tomorrow' today at the expense of what has to be accomplished 'today'. Otherwise, you'll spend your 'tomorrow' regretting why you didn't do what you ought to have done 'today'. That's a wasted resource that can never, ever, be recovered.
Opportunities:
The proverb 'Fortune knocks once at every man's door' has a subtle warning attached to it. Look at it twice and you'll see it: If you don't take up opportunity when it knocks, chances are that it won't come knocking again. Take opportunities for what they are: Gems on the scoreboard of success, and run with them to their utter limits.
Bulldog Tenacity:
• You have to relentlessly pursue opportunities and relationships that have positive impacts on you performance. Without such a quality, some obstacles would mean the end of your journey to success. Hold on, fight through (snarl, if you can) and victory is yours for the taking.
Relationships:
• No man is an island. You need people in order to advance your career. You need people to help you through. You need to lie on someone's shoulder for comfort and support. You desperately need people around you for approval (and criticism!)
• You can never wish to get the best from people around you if your relationship with them is shaky and feigned.
• Treat people well, show them that you care and you'll be surprised how they respond when you need them to help you out.
• Treating people well involves listening to them and valuing their input and effort.
Trust and Integrity:
Being a man or a woman of integrity will open many doors for you. This is simply because most people like associating with people whom they can trust (of course there are others who have an acrid view towards faithfulness and integrity).
• Let people trust you with their money, secrets and well being. You need this in your quest for success.
People's Mistakes:
• Try to know the reasons that made some people fail (in a certain venture, for instance) and purpose, with your heart of hearts, not to make the same mistakes. In essence, learn from other people's mistakes.
Failure is like a roaring lion that roams about seeking for prey to devour. At all costs, let the prey not be you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)