Saturday 1 September 2012

Mummy Dearest

Photo Credit: freemybrain.com
"Twinkle twinkle little star..."
my lips curl into a smile as a mother behind me
sings this soothing melody in an attempt to silence her wailing toddler.
"how I wonder what you are.."
I suddenly feel guilty about my annoyance at the sound
of mummy dearest's cries.
"up above the world so high..."
The wagon whiffs rapidly past the vibrant Shugborough meadows,
"like a diamond in the sky..."
embarrassed, I tuck my head in my novel.
"twinkle, twinkle, little star..."
The persistent parent chants louder,
hoping her petulant tot pipes down.
"how I wonder what you are!"
Oh, if only Mummy would wander up so high
and wish upon a twinkle star.

Tuesday 28 August 2012

Penny For Your Thoughts.

... nickel for your kiss
Actually I take that back.
That is one feeling I could have done without.
After the fact of course.
But what good is it:
rearranging memories;
regretting happiness;
building sadness; and 
judging self?

Oh my ancestors were right,
when they advised that 
'had I known is always at last.'
But again,
what good is it:
persecuting souls;
anticipating closure; and
creating new endings?

All I needed that night, was a penny
for your insidious thoughts.
I could have done without that nickel though.

Thursday 23 August 2012

50 Shades of Grey

...And I succumbed.
I try and stay away from anything that is popular.
Especially with fashion.
But with literature, I often find myself intrigued by the well-known.
Not this time.
Well that was until my sister purchased this book.
(Two copies actually; since Tesco is currently doing a deal on this.)
I had just started a novel and decided to finish it,
but she cajoled me into starting 50 shades...
Admittedly, I like it so far.
I am four chapters deep but I appreciate the writers's captivating descriptions
of the characters.
I think a lot of people are interested in reading this book because of its popularity.
It's just faddish,
But there are also a lot of great authors out there with similar writing styles.

In the meantime, I will just get back to reading.

                                                                      Picture Credit: Abe Books

Edited To Add: Uhm...I really did not know what this book was about before I started reading. It became clear after chapter 4...

Saturday 18 August 2012

Marred by Milan!

“All travel has its advantages. If the passenger visits better countries, he may learn to improve his own. And if fortune carries him to worse, he may learn to enjoy it.” – Samuel Johnson

Milan, Italy, Europe

I describe myself as a thrill-seeker. 
Although, I am not the most adventurous person, I love travelling.
I love seeing the world and not just for sunny beaches and tropical cocktails. 
My recent trip to Milan was an eye-opener for me. 
As a young woman, who has lived in two continents and travelled to several countries,
I am aware of the [racial] prejudice that exists in the world.
It is not something I ever deal with but I am not oblivious to it.
I see myself as woman first and being  recognised as a woman, [a person] is more important to me.

Stepping out of the aircraft, with my body strangled with scarves, jewellery and heavy totes, I smiled at the change of scenery. The warmth of a beautiful city welcomed us. And we were happy. 

We were unaware this warmth would soon turn into cold. 
As we made our way into the city, where our hotel was located, we noticed the eyes fixated on us but did not think much of it. Apparently people had not mastered the art of discretion. 
We were pleased to find our hotel safely, where we rested and sorted out our itinerary for the next couple of days with the help of the hotel staff.
During the course of our trip, we noticed the "attention" we were receiving by way of stares.
This was especially prevalent on the underground/metro/subway. It was almost a mixture of fascination and displeasure.
We did not care because we wanted to take in the culture of Milan. 
However, it was when we heard "negrita" uttered by a couple of men (on separate occasions) that we truly began to take in what was happening. We still did not care. We would later find out that "negrita" is supposed to be a "term of endearment" which means "sexy black woman" or "my little black lady".
We met some very friendly people and some...not-so-friendly people as you do in every city.

The next day, we took the ferry from Como to Bellagio. It was absolutely beautiful. The sun shone brightly on the blue green wavering waters. Every town we passed possessed a unique beauty.

We were excited about the shopping in Bellagio, as you can imagine any young woman would be. 
Whilst in Bellagio, shop assistants would often watch us attentively with a stern look. In one particular shop, one of the shop assistants told her co-worker "they are from Africa" without caring whether we heard it or not. Like I stated before, it seems discretion is foreign to many.
We carried on to the other shops and returned to the ferry (as we could only stay in Bellagio for 40 minutes).
We sat in the middle on the upper deck of the ferry on our way back to Como. Wrong move. I don't believe I should corner myself or hide myself because of the opinions of others but at this point, we were just over it. The stares were intense. Perhaps this was due to the fact that this group of passengers were older but it was very uncomfortable, admittedly, as was this trip.

In the beginning of this blog, I expressed that racism is not something I deal with. Well, I do not assume someone is staring at me simply because I am black but I know what hostility feels like. Generally, Milan, although warm in terms of temperature, was cold by virtue of the citizens. We still had fun and visited the various monuments and museums. I am very happy I went because I believe travelling is education.




Friday 20 July 2012

Of Milk and Honey

He emerged into an ambience of hostility,
Struggling through cunning cords into cool air.
With a tenacious mind and a lion heart,
He will pursue silver spoons on golden pavements.
Bulgy backpacks and squalid sandals,
He will trot tirelessly to many tortuous territories,
where tongues battle but hands unite.
The belief that man must chew his legs off to escape
will cause him to
crawl on his hollow stomach;
jump through stern ropes; and
fly fearlessly which feeble flappers.
Hanger shall never be a lynch,
for his diligence knows no bounds.
Of milk and honey, the land of which his feet will locate,
and the produce of that fertile land will overflow with nectar.
O' milk and honey, an elusive dream shared by his forefathers.
His squalid sandals must rest on such land.


Monday 28 May 2012

"Beyond Reasonable Doubt..."

I seek precision in everything I invest my emotions in.
I have learnt that presumptions can always be rebutted
There are two things I try not to do:

->overestimate my importance in someone's life
->assume someone [of the opposite sex] is interested in me

I admit that I have a sense of entitlement where my loved ones are concerned,
but at least I know where I stand with them.
I believe a lot of people get hurt  [in intimate relationships] because they ignore
the patent signs in the beginning of the dating stage.
"I don't know whether he likes me..."
If I hear that sentence uttered one more time...
A woman must never ask that knife-edged question "so what are we?"
NEVER.

The lack of uncertainty I have witnessed some of my mates experience has often
left them in turbulence moods.
I can't deal.
Stop reading into invisible signs that he's interested. If it's latent, it is not there.
In my opinion, true emotions cannot be hidden. If it is not uttered,
it will be shown beyond reasonable doubt.
That way, you won't need to present me with your doubts and queries.


Sunday 20 May 2012

Another Socialist makes history...

As I expressed cheerful sentiments on a newly elected socialist President,
a pal expressed that I was only pleased because, in her view, I "always root
for the underdog in every race."
Was that true? I wondered. I thought I was merely praising a deserving winner
because a socialist could do more for the ordinary people than an incumbent
right-wing contender?
And then I reflected on the many aspirants in the past who had gained my endorsement...
Oh well, I thought, another underdog makes history.

Wednesday 16 May 2012

Decorum

Mama embedded this noun into our spirits before we could utter it.
She taught us that decorum was correct conduct.
"Say please and thank you," she would remind us often.

Mama planted this universal seed inside our hearts before we could spell it.
She disciplined us dearly on decent demeanour.
"Stop frowning and smile," she would scold.

My mother stitched this attribute in our conscience before we could comprehend it.
She schooled us genially on good graces.
"Offer the gentleman a glass of water." Yes, kindness was my Mumsy's craft.

You see, my loving mother instilled this vitamin in our souls even before we matured.
Mummy pressed on frequently about the importance of positive presence.
"Let everybody have something good to say about you," she would preach during our daily devotion.
For the fear of foolery founded Mama's school of etiquette.
No one dared call her gems classless creatures.

Friday 4 May 2012

Thankful Friday

I have to jet out in a few minutes so I will make this quick. Today is "thankful friday" so I will simply list the things I'm thankful for. I got this idea whilst reading my good friend Calian's blog (Check out her blog).

So today I'm thankful for...

- For my life: I never take that for granted. Every morning I remember to thank God for the gift of life. I have witnessed people go through hell in this journey and I always wonder what happened and what went wrong. I see my self as disciplined and I try to live a spiritual life and the people in my life always steer me towards the right path. I'm also happy I'm a confident and strong-minded person so I have never been the kind to be affected by peer pressure.
- My family - enough said
- Other loved ones.
- MY PARENTS - I had to separate this. Lol (refer to point one)
- God's blessing. It's too much to list.

Ok I have to rush out. I'm travelling today and I don't want to miss my train (and flight).

Have a great weekend everyone.

Sunday 22 April 2012

"Just do it"

procrastination [proh-kras-tuh-ney-shuhn, pruh-]

 noun
the act or habit of procrastinating, or putting off or delaying, especially something requiring immediate attention: Eg: She was smart,but her constant procrastination led her to be late with almost every assignment.



Psychologists believe procrastinators often say they "work better under pressure" as a way of justifying putting things off.




Source:http://dictionary.com
Picture credit: http://runeatrepeat.com

Sunday 15 April 2012

Tales of a Troubled Mother

They say the eyes are the window to the soul.
For the troubled mother, her soul rests on her sleeve,
for her eyes reveals not what she wants hidden.
Pretentious to please the perpetrators of her pain,
she keeps her tiles untarnished.
A prayer full of piety to conceal a scattered mind;
a mind torn between belief and scepticism,
relief and pessimism,
deceit and realism,
grief and optimism.
But her eyes displays not her shadowed soul,
or her desire for diminished lows.
Instead, her face will smile,
her arms will embrace,
her garments will speak on her behalf
whilst her soul remains misty,
until she's given back her most priced possession.

''they'll come through your womb but not be coming from you
they will be with you, but they do not belong to you
you can give them your love but not your thoughts 
cause they'll arrive with their own hearts'' - Jason Mraz (God rests in Reason) 

Friday 6 April 2012

Adam's Apples


Beneath his droopy dim eyes lies his penchant for the paper,
A shared gaze draws him near as he bolts past his brother,
Rippled sweat roams rapidly on his face 
and betrays him by revealing his pace.
The cold lucid glass feels the warmth of his breath 
as the carefully knotted polythene strangles ten mahogany fingers.
He fixes his pleading pupils and flashes his pearly whites with tact.
Rattling prices as though a rhythmic routine,
his legs quiver as if time has been unkind.
She focuses on the fleeting movement of his famished mouth;
and spies misplaced saliva which sells him out.
Her lips part as muted words wander through his streets.
Streets created for his labour like Adam in Eden,
with no suitable helper to bear a burden.
Green-lights flash with no trade made,
and dashed hopes form across his face as distace fades.
She's whiffed-off wishing she plucked a piece of Adam's apples.

Sunday 1 April 2012

Dark Moments: Shining Glory

Flowers grow from Dark moments
Fighting to meet the world
To blossom dearly and humbly in the heavenly light.
Struggling through natural things
And things which are made to make you struggle.
An intuition to open my arms and smile
is prevented by many obstacles
I still stand tall,
head high
chest out, smiling and knowing deeply,
One day I would smile,
one day everyone would bow down when I smile
My obstacles are what strengthens me
To arise every time I die.

 By Nana Yaa Bartels.

Thursday 29 March 2012

Desire

Tap it hard in their souls
Let it mar the innocent wood
Make it beat into their conscience
Pierce their moods with the truth

Exhaust the lie out of his heart
Sound the facts with a stare
But discard the pleading glare
And break the air with the verdict.

Shout the dire penalty
Permit her wishes to transpire
The assuring gavel; causes her to fire
For it birth her desire.

Friday 23 March 2012

The Forest


Emptiness is devoid of quality---never quantity.
We often dismiss the distinctive details in the fabric of life clothed around us.
Even the hollow forest captures the beauty in the changes life brings.
The high density of the trees are seemingly desolate and devastated... because we focus on its withering autumn leaves as the wicked winter-wind woos in,
whilst denying the beautiful shadows of the trees perching on crystal icy grounds.
How then can we appreciate a blossoming branch as it lures us in from a budding seed in spring?
And feel the joy of a bright sun as it ushers in on its gleeful green-land in the summer.
The beautiful Maya Angelou once penned... "We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty."

Friday 9 March 2012

"Don't look back, at this crumbling fool"


Didn't I give it all?
Tried my best,
Gave you everything I had,
Everything and no less,
Didn't I do it right?
Did I let you down?

Maybe you got too used to,
Having me around,
Still, how can you walk away,
From all my tears?
It's gonna be an empty road,
Without me right here,

But go on and take it,
Take it all with you,
Don't look back,
At this crumbling fool...

--Adele

Rewriting Memories.

The lyrics of a soulful melody takes me back.
Each stanza possesses a pang of self-pity.
Perhaps the writer appropriated my diary.
I must rewrite those memories.
And then maybe, I'll find that fanciful feeling
in the work of another thieving artist.