You & I Expressed by Tye , at 8:37 PM, in

Baby, give me your hand, it’s perfect in my own

Show me what’s in your heart, tell me things unknown

When you hold me, I don’t want you to let go

I’m begging, baby please

When you’re with me, I don’t want no tomorrow

‘Cause then you’ll have to leave

Chorus:

When I think of you and I

I find wings to fly

I can’t get you off my mind

I’m so happy I could cry

And I can’t think of words to tell you

But I hope me heart can show you

This love was made for you and I

It’s true

Sometimes when I’m dreaming in the darkest of my nights

I look in my heart and I see your light

I don’t have the words to say

But I’ll bless that day always

‘Cause when I saw your face

I found myself new grace

(2x)Chorus:

When I think of you and I

I find wings to fly

I can’t get you off my mind

I’m so happy I could cry

And I can’t think of words to tell you

But I hope this heart can show you

This love was made for you and I

It’s true

► PLAY!! Expressed by Tye , at 3:01 PM, in

Phew! I’m finally, finally done with the torment of the end-of-year demons. It was a vicious war and the least I can say is I’m ineffably thankful that’s its over… regardless of how it turns out.

But as much as I’d rather not have written those papers, I’m also very glad that I did because it taught me something; it taught me the power of faith and perseverance.

From pulling all-nighters till by eyes were ready to just fall out of my head and unto the past papers and notes I so clung to, to downing cups of black coffee (well, not so black but still black) like my existence depended on them, it was a cycle of caffeine-aided shoving and stashing (too much and too fast with) information down my brain bank, spewing it unto the unpleasantly bright and white exam papers and then repeating the cycle, barely punctuating my existence with 4-hour naps.

At no point did I not want to just give up and throw my hands in the air or just turn into a lazy i-don’t-careish bum, not study and just let fate take its course with my grades, but somehow I didn’t… and I’M DONE! In all my life, this has been my most draining exam and I absolutely loathed every second of it, but I’ve learned that if you believe and you seek to achieve somehow you’ll make it to the other side of the tunnel.

Now, I’m not too scared of what my transcript might look like (emphasis on too) and I’m too happy and drained to care but whatever…Big up to the only Big G there is and that matters.

And if you’re reading this then I officially love you because you’re one of fifteen special people!

II PAUSE… Expressed by Tye , at 4:22 PM, in

¡Hola, todos! In less than 24 hours I will be sitting eyeball to eyeball with an English HL paper-it will be bloody…for the paper of course...hopefully. Which is partly the reason for this post: My end of semester exams begin tomorrow, commencing a bombardment of Economic models, Chemical equations, Spanish ¡!, the like so I guess I’ll be away for like a week (If I try hard enough to keep myself away). Do keep me fondly in your prayers and good wishes.

The other reason for this post is to share something I observed this morning. Everyday I walk to and from school along a ‘path’ that is not exactly what you may call user-friendly. Recently I came to realize that even though it is not the most picturesque scene it is quite endearing in its unconventional beauty - the rickety bridge above the diseased-looking drying lake/lagoon, the half-burnt tri-palm (most unusual) amidst very, very weed-infested farmland, even the half-shaded, half-sunned street sprinkled with sheep pellets. It’s all quite charming, after it grows on you, that is.

However, yesterday while walking back from school I saw what looked like two budding Ethiopian lilies (Google images won’t help) of the palest yellow and deepest red, right in the middle of the weed-trodden farmland, about 2 meters away from the half-burnt tri-palm....It was simply beautiful. But as always I didn’t have a camera (I know, flop). Regardless I had to stop and stare for a bit, hoping that I would see it bloom.

This morning it had bloomed: breathtaking beauty in the most unlikely place. The pale petals facing the earth coyly as though they were unsure of their beauty; it was simply exquisite and as I walked I thought to myself:

Its interesting how you can find beauty in the most unlikely places, all you have to do is open you heart and mind to it

Consequently a poem I’ve loved since our first encounter came to mind: William Wordsworth’s She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways. Hope you enjoy it and remember to think of me (and my exams) whenever you ask for grace and guidance.

She dwelt among the untrodden ways
Beside the springs of Dove,
A Maid whom there were none to praise
And very few to love:

A violet by a mossy stone
Half hidden from the eye!
Fair as a star, when only one
Is shining in the sky.

She lived unknown, and few could know
When Lucy ceased to be;
But she is in her grave, and, oh,
The difference to me!

PS: Turns out the flower as most beauty is was ephemeral; it had withered on my walk back from school so my hopes of getting a picture to post have been dashed. Pity, really :(

Rebirth Expressed by Tye , at 9:44 AM, in

From here within me

A new song rings

To me

Joy and new life it brings

Through these eyes

From which tears have run dry

I see there’s still a possibility to fly

I’ll spread my wings

And tie those of time

Get lost in euphoria

Of that which is mine

Set forth emotions I may find

Within my broken spirit’s mine

Now, I am free to let you go

Break free from yesterday’s shadow

No graces, no airs, no encores

I’ll pack my bag

And get on my track

In search of my tomorrow

Woman Expressed by Tye , at 11:42 AM, in

It’s the stars in her eyes

It’s the swing in her hips

It’s the curve of her thighs

It’s the smile on her lips

It’s the cock of her head

It’s the tears she don’t shed

It’s the grace in her laugh

How she knows she’s enough

It’s the way she makes me feel

How her kiss can make me reel

It’s the music in her voice…

It’s her voice.

My Friend Expressed by Tye , at 2:33 PM, in

I knew that someday we’d walk this path

From life’s wilderness, our past

Seemed such a foolish thought back then

But now we’re at the crossroads my friend

And it hurts so bad to know

That far beyond places I know

You’ll be far away from me but know this

Over oceans and mountains you may be

But truth is it makes no difference to me

Because in my heart you’ll always be

My friend

Memories and childish fears we’ve shared

Through the pains and losses we have cared

For my back I’ve never feared

Because I’ve always known you’ll be there

My brother, my partner, my eternal friend

Beyond time and space our bond will transcend

For our fights made us stronger

And they made this bond last longer

Over oceans and mountains you may be

But truth is it makes no difference to me

Because in my heart you’ll always be

My friend

The arrow’s in the quiver now

Time’s here to take the final bow

I’ll miss you and this is truth

Your name in my heart is assured proof

But every time you smile and don’t know why

Remember I’m thinking of you all the time

Over oceans and mountains you may be

But truth is it makes no difference to me

Because in my heart you’ll always be

My friend

Transition Expressed by Tye , at 7:33 AM, in

I looked for love elsewhere

Forgetting to look before me, right here

Forgoing what I knew was truth

That what was right was loving you

I’m sorry for passing you by

I’m sorry for letting us die

I lied, I tried, I did it all

Augmented your atomic flaws

I know I should have listened more

To the music of your hurting core

The tune I should have danced to

The melody I never sang to

Apologize, I know I should

I’ll heal your ever-hurting wounds

Rebuild the trust, forget the past

A different script, the same old cast

I promise now we’ll make it last

Last time I hurt you was the last

You know you’re truly Ghanaian when… Expressed by Tye , at 1:08 PM, in

1. You definitely know someone - yourself included - called Sisi, Comfort (Connie), Faustina (Faustie), Rose (Rosie), Patience, Philomena (Philo), Veronica (Vero), Prince, Frank, Foster etc
2. Your first name is a compound name consisting of your traditional day-of-birth name followed by a Western name of any variety e.g. Abena Rose, Kwame Frank, Akua Deborah, Akwasi Ernest, Yaa Salome etc
3. You have been abroad i.e. Germany, Hamburg, London, Florida or know at least one distant relative there
4. You find it an inexcusable burning necessity to truly shadda (tr: don your finest garb) to church on Sunday morning. NB: It has to be morning because the blessings diminish by the second.
5. Once in church you give beyond your means because you know your blessings are computed by the cedi
6. It is your pastor who tells you this
7. Your idea of doing show (tr: taking someone on a treat) is taking the poor fellow to Papaye or some other random fast-food joint to get takeout
8. Your earliest birthday memories consist of plates of fried rice with chicken and a cool uncle/auntie trying to dance with you while you do battle with another kid (the girl with the powerful ‘pool the rope’ or the boy with the unrelenting seizure that is meant to be the Harlem Shake/ Running Man or something of the sort)
9. You have definitely used internet café services before; if you haven’t, stop trying to defend your Ghanaian-ness now, its impossible
10. Your favorite artists of all time feature Celine Dion, Marc Anthony, Westlife and Akon
11. You’re an expert at communicating completely and effectively with mono-syllabic and di-syllabic sounds such as ‘mmm’, ‘mmm-mm’, ‘mmn?’, ‘mmn!’, ‘mm-hm’, ‘hmm’, ‘ei!’, ‘ah!’, ‘eh?’

Solitude Expressed by Tye , at 7:44 AM, in

It’s so hard when you're misunderstood

No one’s here to help you through the woods (heal the wounds)

You can't cry but now you wish you could

In my eyes

There's a dying light that used to shine

Now I'm down and out; I’ve lost this time

All I want to do is run and hide

I feel so broken inside

Destroyed my passion, been let down by life

I find no reason to strife

I’m fighting this lost battle, but I’m lost inside

Solitude

I’m a broken shadow; residue

When you find untruths in all you knew

When that fire dies inside of you

I feel so broken inside

Destroyed by my passion, let down by my life

I’ve found new reasons to cry,

I’m lost in this battle, no one’s by my side

Solitude

I'm standing in solitude

Solitude

Seek Ye First His Kingdom... Expressed by Tye , at 7:33 PM, in

Church was amazing this Sunday!

Not because I was clad head to toe in a black suit and sliver of yellow down my chest. Not because I knew the hymns they sang and not because I saw my favorite teacher after a very long absence of like 2 months….Well, of course all this contributed to the awesomeness of the whole thing, but above all else church was such a glamorous affair for me because the preacher delivered a message that really hit home. The sermon was on something I had been pondering the whole week through: It was on what truly matters; life’s purpose.

Prior to this Sunday, all week I had been feeling disconnected from God. I hadn’t been to church in a while and a concerned friend (God bless your precious heart, Yasmine) came to ask about the reason for my absence. For like a month my buddy and I had not stepped in His presence and she wanted a reason….yup, nothing justifiable- school, stress, homework, the list was long and meaningless.

This is when she started telling me about a book she had started reading which was changing the way in which she perceived life: The Purpose Driven Life. I had heard about it, but never read it. Its message was simple: There is so much more to life than getting the best grades, riding in the fastest cars and getting into the best college. Of course these things are of some importance, but life is so much more than chasing after and hanging unto material things which are but ephemeral in comparison to eternity.

I pondered these things all-week and was quite pleasantly surprised when mid-week I met further inspiration in the form of a stranger (but that’s for another day, its far too complex and freaky for this post).

So ffwd to Sunday. Here I am all-dressed up feeling all joyous in the Lord and in His presence when the sermon begins and the preacher (Bro. Daniel Quaye, I cannot forget his name) speaks about my very thoughts. I cannot describe the extent to which I felt my lips stretch into a silly grin, and the number of times I felt like leaping into the air and breaking into to song were no less than 3.

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all other things shall be added unto you”, “Seek and you shall find”. Can God be anymore explicit? And kind?

Your sole objective should be to find the Lord (because if you seek Him, you will find Him) and all the things you desire (and even those you do not) shall come to you in abundance beyond words. Now tell me, how can you argue against this? Unless you are stupid or high or both why would you rather fret and struggle for the transient things. The transient things, all of which you cannot accumulate, when you can simply find The Single Thing which comes with an extended package that will over-satisfy you? Think about it…

I told my friend about this and yes, he tried to counter this argument but guess what? When he switched his radio on this morning, the preacher was talking about-you guessed it-the transient, mutable present and the eternity and abundance of his favor that NOONE can snatch away from you! Double freaky!!

Now, it’s easier to breathe and live because no matter what tries to faze me I have peace in the storm because I KNOW that because I have found His kingdom, life is just a breeze that tries to brag sometimes ;)

Beautiful Scars Expressed by Tye , at 2:21 PM, in

The sweep of his hand

Across her pale face

Firm

Yet like a breeze

Leaving her permanently scarred

He slashes and lashes with his tool

To his content

Each time

Scarring her some more

Covering her with caresses

Caresses that scar her

Beautifully

Caresses that leave all

In awe

Then gently

The crescendo approaches

Like all the others

With a swift sharpness

He imprints on her

His mark

And the artist’s work is done

His relationship with his canvas over

Yet much stronger