Beautiful Soul
It’s your time
Liberate your mind–
you are much greater
than you think you are
Define who you were–
before you became a slave
to extraction and contraction
Start to know yourself–
prescribed by your own story
in the language of your tongue
It’s time to know your worth–
the value of your golden soil
your ample rivers and sun
You lose it everyday–
just giving it all away
with handshakes of bonded strife
Remember your name–
come into your own light
be the centre of your own universe
Africa, it’s your time!
Author’s note: This poem was inspired by a public lecture delivered yesterday by Kenyan nobel prize winning writer and Professor of English, Ngugi wa Thiongo, entitled: “Secure the base: decolonise the mind”
The map depicted in the image above illustrates how large Africa is in terms of space in comparison to other major powers. It is also blessed with a wealth of resources yet Africa remains one of the poorest continents in the world. It is still primarily the dark continent in terms of electrification. As a continent that was colonised by many European countries while its people became victims of slavery and oppression, there is a school of thought towards freeing our minds from colonisation and reclaiming our identity and place in the world.
The photograph
A mirrored reflection caught my eye
A black and white picture of you and I
Behind the reflection, rose colored walls
Sounds of love songs echoing down halls
Through the tracks of needles and tapes
Spun out of swelling love and heartbreaks
Time swirled around and streamed through
A broken part of me to a broken part of you
Shared memories linger in that ideal frame
A sequenced montage that calls out my name
As I gaze closely at the photograph once again
I glimpse the anticipation we could not contain
When our favorite song invited us to dance
We seemed to have been captured in a trance
The image keeps us locked in eternal embrace
What happened next, there is no sign or trace
That appears to be the way of sweet dreams
Where the magic is not as perfect as it seems
But as I lay my weary head and return to sleep
I rewind our love song that still makes me weep
It’s over now
It’s over now
The sluice gates were opened wide
Filling the river with tears that I cried
You hovered for a while
Not wanting to leave me like this
So you turned and gave me a final kiss
Still you keep coming back
In my thoughts, and into my dreams
Your face, reflected in the sun beams
Though it’s over now
There’s a special place for you in my heart
Even though we’ll now and forever be apart
The music will still linger on
It is the language of our souls
It permeates far beyond our controls
I’m so glad that I had this dance with you.
Something happened
I was a dusty, weary wayfarer
bruised and limping on bare feet
The night had been far too long
my heart, stone-heavy and dark
But something happened
The first rays of the sun sneaked in
carefully bathing my sullied skin
Fresh winds untangled my hair
and I found you sitting right there
Yes, something happened
Though strangers, we were kindred spirits
perhaps I was taller, but only in height
On this new day, we both had a chance
to brush the soot off our chimney-souls
I know that something happened
It always does when a new sun rises
filling us with unexpected surprises
No matter our distinction and persuasion
the new day levels for us a new haven
Something happened to us today
Another chance to stand, start afresh
another moment to fall back in love
with life itself and our own raison d’être
It’s ours now, let’s absolve their blame.
Something is happening to all of us today.
Torch and a Spear
We were like two ships
Passing through the night
My perfume in the breeze
Yours, with smoke-filled trees
You made me pause
For a moment–
Inhale memories long forgotten,
Though occasional visitors
But I’ve tasted and drunk
Enough damp midnight air
Not to want to go back there.
Walk with me for awhile
Come and gaze through my window
Take a look at your possibility
To share the fragrance with me
And leave that stale air behind
The shore is not too far
If you take the dive with me
I have a torch, you have a spear
Together– we have nothing to fear!
Rose tinted memories
Rose tinted memories,
your footsteps everywhere.
Each pathway I walked
with a phantom escort.
I tried to shake you off
but you steadily followed me.
In my disguise, I tried to hide,
yet still, you discovered me.
Now I see you everywhere;
converging the seasons
of a love which has sprouted,
slowly simmered, then burned
into memories’ rose-tinted love.
Waiting
A practice in patience
standing in the shadows
you dawn on me
with a glowing smile
to wake up my heart
Clouds blotted you today
replaced with incessant rain
threatening stormy weather
refracted to my soul
Time’s lethargy
spreading contagiously
as hours creep on
while I wait for you this time
I ought to love the rain
filled with memories
of its gentle dance with me
synchronised with my storm
But I am back to longing again
to find the Sun waiting for me.
Strange Feeling
It cuddles me in the midnight hour
Opening me up like a blossoming flower
Wrapping me in the afterglow of that feeling
When the rapture of an orchestra hits the ceiling
Like gently cupped whispers filling my ear
To fall in love again, let go, run wild my dear
Don’t think about tomorrow, today is right here
As the music plays, feel my warm breath so near
It reaches deep within, moving mysteriously inside
The strange feeling of love that I just cannot hide
It takes me back to another season in time
It directs me to fill this page with my rhyme
It’s taken over my body and soul
Before I know it, I’ve lost all control
Could It be that I’ve just lost possession of my mind?
Or is this the love song that took so many years to find?
I may not understand this strange feeling that I get
But I know that this emotion hasn’t left me quite yet
Night and Day
Between rhythm and rhyme
wondering which it would be
words seemed to fail me
the notes sounded out of key
Then you walked into the room
arranged the lyrics to a tune
You blew me away– repeatedly,
endlessly, to heights not yet known
Words so cleverly coupled, selected,
slithered into slippery dark places
stirring memories and dreams
painful heartbreaks of yesterday.
Caught up in an exotic dance
the music allured me once again
the beats, the strums, together
with words, they knew the drums
of my heart. They danced in valleys,
on mountains, through the oceans
beneath the moon and with the sun–
lighting up life between night and day.
Chevvy's diary 