HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

If wishes could come into being by a snap of my fingers,
I would throw a feast for my mother on the face of still waters.
If I could whisper the stars to draw nearer,
I will task them to surround these waters.
And I will call upon all the nobles,
to bear me witness;
As I show my appreciation to the Queen of my world.

If I could tie down the hands of time, 
The celebration will be eternal. 
The celebration of a life well lived;
The celebration of true motherhood. 
The womb that kept me.
The breast that fed.
The hands that nurtured me.
The embrace that dried my tears.
The kiss that soothed me.
The voice that said 'I'm here, you need not worry!'

A million tongues to sing, 
Of how deep my love for you is.
Extending from the deep blue skies, 
To the floor of the deepest oceans. 
Yet it cannot be compared,
To half of your love shown to me.
Today, I say thank you,
To the God who made you;
Who made you just for me.
I couldn't have asked for more
And now I boldly declare, 
There's no mother like mine!

EMERGENCY ROOM!

She walked out of the emergency room trying to come to terms with reality. A few steps away and it really dawned on her. She went slowly unto the floor in her pretty white dress. The next moment, she caught everyone's attention with her unending deafening wailing. Began with shouts of Ah! Ah! Ah! Akwasi! Then she laid on her back, looked into the skies and started the one way conversation;

"why God?  We had a deal God! and I've kept my part. Why have you forsaken me? Why? This wasn't what you promised. Why have you taken everything from me? God why? Take me too Lord, for I have nothing to live for".  

Her eyes, noses, mouth were all filled with their various fluids. She turned back facing the ground and began striking the hard floor with her right palm. You could literally see blood ooze out her fingers. At this stage, all the pain is inside the heart. The whole body had gone numb and everyone is just helplessly staring. 

For a while, onlookers had come to the realization that they really have no problems at all. The young lady's white dress had turned scarlet and her display had frozen time all around her. People tried to lift her up but her weight had multiplied. Perhaps, all the men had grown weak.

She suddenly turned and faced the heavens again. This time she was just sobbing silently. It was like God was finally whispering the answers she had asked earlier. All we could hear was inconsistent humming. From the crowd gathered, I could see tears run down the cheeks of some observers but I tried to hold back mine. 

The young lady turned to one of the men trying to lift her up and said "Akwasi na ad3n? For better for worse oo, anka lose your job mpo and let us stay poor. Till death do us part was a mere formality oo Akwasi. Na 6 months de3, how do I carry on? Akwasi, how do I name our child?" 

That was when we all noticed she was pregnant. It was a sunny afternoon but suddenly, thick clouds filled the whole atmosphere. Another lady standing by me abruptly dropped her yogurt and pie. Apparently, she was also a newly married lady who's husband was battling it in the ER. She caught shivers with immediate effect, coming to terms with what, hopefully not, but could possibly be her story if things go south.  

I wish I could tell you more, but I couldn't stand the awe. I had to walk away like many others, wondering if these worries in life over petty stuff were really worth it. 

And for days, I still have that scene replaying in my head like a movie.

I love you all and I entreat everyone to search their hearts and rid them free of any envy, hatred or grudge. One day, life will come to an abrupt end all these races for supremacy won't matter one bit!

Love life and stay safe!

LADY IN RED!

Brightly colored tulips.

Bleeding red roses.

White pigeons in flying choreography. 

Choristers in golden robes,

singing with voices beyond angels.

Diamond rings and chariots.

Red handwoven gown sweeping floors.

Groom cannot believe his eyes.

A wedding in December;

A Christmas honeymoon. 

Just the way they had dreamt.

Yet the man who painted the dream,

pitifully perching on the last pew.

How is he not in a tuxedo? 

Why is he not walking down the aisle?

How did he become a face in the crowd?

His lips shook as she read her vows. 

He knows it word for word.

Yeah! It's his own piece. 

He wrote it on her last birthday;

The day she broke the news to him.

"I'm getting married,

 I cannot keep up with the fantasy,

 I'm settling with someone else"

Everyone is merry;

Everyone but one man.

A man who watched his dream come to pass,

Yet no one noticed his presence.

 

His role was snatched in broad daylight. 

And all he had were his daddy's words,

whispered to him when he was a boy;

Son, sometimes the lady in red will dance with someone else!

The Melanin Menace!

The marks on our wrists, they could tell a thousand stories.

The wounds on our ankles, a million more stories.

The rage was extreme, yet buried away in fear.

Hunger, the least of our woes.

 

Such horror and agony to withstand,

that throwing us off these ships was considered mercy.

Anywhere else would be a better dwelling place. 

But we were slaves; men unfit to even have dying wishes.

We watched our fathers die; hanged on gallows.

We watched our mothers raped; amidst tears in open fields.

We watched our siblings sold for pieces of silver.

 

We worked our whole lives in sugar cane and cotton fields.

No roofs over our heads.

So cold, no coats.

We shared the nights with poisonous serpents.

We called them Masters.

And we dared not talk back at them. 

They stripped us in the markets, 

displaying our private endowments, as attempts to price us up.

They auctioned us to bidders; bidders of their like skin color.

Bidders with much dreaded hearts.

Monsters in fine clothing, 

who chained us to horses; riding for miles unending. 

Blessed were those who Death visited.

For no pasture was green enough, to give us a sense of fulfillment.

 No pasture was green enough, in this world of ours.

Our tunnels had no ends.

Pitch black till The Maker calls.

For we had no reason to smile, unless the master bids you.

All of these, we attribute,

to the melanin menace.

Twas what we did to deserve this.

And to see those we call our brothers, beat once more this shameful drum

giving the devil a  beautiful name, Xenophobia!

Just because we asked for bread.

Just because we left our homes, in search of a fallacy.

The fallacy of the land of milk and honey.

Home is not home anymore.

Home, reminds me of a place where my neighbor was my brother.

Where we shared the joy and endured the pain.

Home, paints to me a day where we take the knee at heart,

with our right fists up and our left hand on the next shoulder.

 Home shall be when black lives matter to black people.

And then to all people!

THE MASTERPIECE!

You're the priceless painting on the wall

You're the young painters bait to greatness

You're the best in the gallery

You're so beautifully made, you've grown conspicuous

You've become the center of attraction

Rubbing shoulders with the best of Da Vinci

The works of Picasso envy you

And all the nobles fancy you

I'm just one rusty nail

Journeyed through wild degrees of fire

Beaten and hammered into the wall

I do not shine, neither do I blink

I'm literally a ghost

Hiding in the shadows of the masterpiece

Tasked to keep your highness hanging

Even as your fame breeds pride

You could offer me a wipe

When sweat runs down my face

You could smile and show appreciation

For what I offer behind the scenes

Or you could look down upon me

And utter your disparaging remarks.

One will make me stay

And keep you hanging on the walls forever

The other will kick me out

And watch you crash into the ground

For though you're a star;

Perfectly molded by the creator

And I'm just a blemish;

A mistake from the painter's brush,

My imperfections herald the crown on your head

You, perfect work of art!

THE MAGIC IN YOU!

O! How I despise magic
Yet I never doubt it's existence
I've just been distant from the art
I deem it treacherous and deceitful
Why should tricks amuse the world?
Mere illusions and fallacies
Earning undeserving applause
O! How I despise magic

O! How I despise magic
Until our paths did meet
Until I saw the beauty in your eyes
A sanctuary of fireflies at night
And colorful butterflies at day
I could stare at them all day
And wish the sun never retires

O! How I love that voice
Like a choir of musical legends
With birds as backing vocalists
Your whisper is a melody in my head
And if I had my way,
I'd pay to hear you speak
You must be an angel
With wings concealed from human eyes

Do you wield an invisible wand?
Is it somewhere in your right hand?
Could it all be illusions?
Could it be I loved magic?
And I never knew at all
Could we call it something else
Something else aside magic
Or do I have to just accept
That I loved magic afterall!

THE SUICIDE NOTE!

If you wake one morning
And you find the world mourning
If you peep through your window
And you don't see my shadow
If you walk to the almond tree
And you still don't find me
Don't come knocking on my door
Don't come asking for more

I may have left for your sake
I may have drowned in the lake
I may have drowned in my tears
The tears you gave me over the years
When nothing I did was enough
When sight of me stirred your wrath
Don't go asking of me
For I've left to make you free

And maybe, I should say sorry
For the discomfort and the worry
Well, you know the rest of the story
But I'm tired of saying sorry
So when you peep through your window
And you catch a glimpse of moving shadow
This was me tired of trying
This was me finally fleeing

When you wake in the morning
And you find the world mourning
Order to have their tears dry
Do smile while they cry
Do know that I tried
And by trying, I died!