Expression & Poesy

Falling For A Stranger...

2010-08-14T12:05:00.003Z

...Is easy as warm butter
And dubious like the sea

It's slow and enchanting;
Faltering forward, unsteady,
Into a vortex of possible damnation
And loving it all the same

It's sexy
Like flirting with darkness
And kissing the fringes of danger
Like sticking your finger in a flame
And waiting for the sweet burn...

Like listening for a whisper
On sensual air currents
Or taking a deep breath before a dive

Falling for a stranger...
Is tortuously beautiful
Like a wilting rose
Or an ended love
Like a dark, unsteady road
Only bathed in moonlight

It's dubious, and raw, and true
It's sweet and sour
And something in-between
It's heady and frightening
And hauntingly captivating...

It's a deep gentle bite
That only caresses a vein,
Thoughtless...
Yet leaves you pining in hopeful vain...

PS: Partly-inspired by conversations with a wise and wonderfully alive person... :D

Application From A Hopeful Romatic

2010-08-03T03:47:00.003Z

I think of you incessantly
Your careless hair, your dark brown eyes
Your tender smell I wish I knew...
I wish I could break through these walls
These chains that keep me from your arms,
And feel the depth of your sweet charms.
I wish I knew your favorite song
So I could play it all day long
And drown in you, and drown in you
And the perfection I wish I knew...

Music & Me

2010-07-06T19:33:00.002Z

So I may have mentioned my passion for music at some point. Yesterday, I hit the studio with a friend and we made some music. I'm on the vocals and he's on the instruments. And please don't forget to spread the word and 'like':

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=32701739#!/pages/Tye-Chuchu/140259319324858?ref=ts

Blessings

Heck, It's My Right! And I Will Exercise It!

2010-06-28T21:27:00.001Z

Boys boys di3 abi we no dey fight ky3.
Tr: Men don’t bear grudges.

I generally do not bear grudges unless I find it absolutely necessary, partly because I find that they are too energy-consuming to sustain for long periods. In fact I consider myself quite a forgiving person, almost to a fault.

What I cannot stand however, is the fact that just by virtue of calling myself a man I am expected to rescind my right to bear grudges. Hell! What’s so femininely special about bearing grudges that only women are allowed to bear them?

I simply cannot understand why women are allowed, even expected, to bear grudges and men are not. It’s absolute hot rot, if you ask me (and even you don’t)! A woman will bear her choice of grudge till she, of her own will decides that she doesn’t want to anymore. But the moment a man even falters in that direction, “ARE YOU NOT A MAN?” is slapped right in his face and practically forced down his nostrils. Kai! It’s injustice, I tell you!

As for me, it is my right to bear my choice of grudge for whatever period of time I choose, and I will exercise my right as and when I feel like it! And every other man should too!

To My Brown Sugar...

2010-06-07T22:20:00.002Z

Brown Sugar,

When I look in the caramel pools of your eyes

I see depths of mysteries I want to explore

A cryptic beauty that intrigues me

And a soul that wields an alluring essence

Brown Sugar,

When you touch me, your hands of delicate beauty

Leave me with a lingering sweetness

Sensations and memories that leave me infinitely giddy

Your lovely hands I wish would caress me, oh so tenderly

Brown Sugar,

I love making you smile

And hearing you laugh, even for a while

And yearn to let my fingers play in your hair

And stare into your eternal eyes

So Brown Sugar,

Will you let me?

Do say you will…

The Smell Of Rain

2010-05-02T16:49:00.001Z

Fresh
Deep
Brown
Earthy.
The sweet smell of life
Rushing to a silent call;
Like a lover to another
Sweet collision
Music divine.
Pure
Rich
Dark
True.
The ancient tune
That plays eternal
Unchanged, still true
As the first day
His first note broke
From the heavens
And rushed
To the yearning call
Of his lover below.
Peace,
At last.

The Artist's Hand

2010-04-27T00:48:00.001Z

Five-pointed perfection
Angled in god-like grace.
Beauty in every niche,
Every crease unfurling
Natural flawlessness.
Delicate…A symphony in form
A masterpiece on its own.

What Is Love? I Think...

2010-04-23T23:56:00.016Z

Love is the intense warmth
You feel when you’re with him
It’s the flaming warmness
You feel in some part of your being
Your soul perhaps, that tells you
She was destined, created for you.

Love is the feeling you feel, of sunshine
That glowing happiness that tells you
That should hurt come, you can bear it.
Love’s that feeling when the hurt does come;
The one that tells you that falsehood
That the next tear
Will drain you of all life forever.

Love is that soothing knowledge
That you’re glad to be alive and loved.
It’s the same thing that makes you want
To live forever, in an eternity
Of cool warm blissful contentment.
And yet the same thing that
Reassures your content soul
That death will be fine
Because what your heart felt was true.

Love’s that silent invisible raging fire
That refuses to be quenched when you’re with her
It’s that gentle eternal pebble of ice
That melts a little every time you taste his tender kiss
It’s that pure distilled anguished awakening of joy;
That elusive singular light that ignites…
When you’re in each other’s embrace.

And you, what do you think Love is?

PS: Partly inspired by Chrisette Michele's "Love Is You".

My Pain

2010-04-23T00:27:00.000Z

That I care
Is my pain
That your pain
Is my pain
That I lose
So you gain;
That is my pain.

That you drive
Me insane
And you think
This a game
That I lose
So you gain;
That is my pain.

That I love
You in vain
That my love
Is my pain
That I lose
So you gain;
That is my pain.

That your joy
Is my pain
That he lives
Is my pain
That his bliss
Is my pain
That I wish him
My pain
For your heart;
That is my pain.

-

2010-04-21T12:10:00.002Z

I’m falling

And I reached to you

Pushed me away without a look

I’m hurting

And you saw my wounds

Then left me standing where I stood

I’m crying

Though the world can’t see

Even I can’t see how much I bleed

You see

Though you didn’t speak the words

Somehow you told me you’d be there

That you’d be HERE…

Now all I hear

Is the white noise

Of speculation

And a void.

Ghanaians & Noise Pollution

2010-04-15T19:27:00.002Z

In fact, Ghanafoc p3 dede! Really, hasn’t anybody heard of noise pollution? Ah! What nonsense is this?!

How can the first thing you do in the morning be to wake up to your bed vibrating and your eardrums spewing blood because some random idiot thinks it’s his right and God-given responsibility to blast some rubbish music from the next neighborhood at like a million decibels?! Idiocy! Idiocy, I tell you!

I mean, it’s bad enough that the music is shamefully loud, but it’s downright sacrilegious when on top of all this noise the music is crap too; when this music is in fact noise! Seriously, if it’s not some no-talent woman wailing about how God has done nothing in her life and has left her in the hands of the devil, then it is some equally untalented man declaring earnestly to the whole world how desperately he needs somebody to ring his ‘berlls’(wtf?). And as if destroying your already gloomy Monday morning is not enough, some will go on and give you another dose of noise to complement your lunch.

Oh and do they come in an array of colorful options: Take your pastor friend, Brother Fred, who believes he lives in ancient Jerusalem, and is on a quest to save the entire country from flaming damnation- even with the loudspeaker, he will shout in the streets of Accra till you can hear him in Bolga! Or the family of a deceased ‘big man paaa’ who had no interest in him when he was alive, but deem it ‘only right’ that he be given a befitting funeral at all cost- rain or shine, even if it means the funeral being broken down into weekly installments, and hiring mourners to roll on the ground and stridently recount non-existent anecdotes about his greatness. Then there is Sister Adjoa who will make all the fufu-pounding noise in the world to ensure that everyone knows her chopbar is open, all the while playing her very own rendition of noise. And all this while, the idiot who woke you up is still displaying his DJ-ing skills and has switched up his music to something different, but equally unpleasant and raucous.

And just as the sun goes down and you think that finally, peace-of-mind may just be an option, Abrante3 Spot or one of its cousin’s opens just around the corner, and bursts your bubble with a rude, loud, unbearable entrance that lasts and lasts like Keysoap, till you just want to go and throw yourself away. And to make matters worse, repeats the same music that jolted you out of your sleep, only louder, and with intent to remove all doubt from anybody’s mind that the spot is really open for business.

Really, we are a people blessed with an appreciation of, and an uncanny ability to make noise. It’s an interesting aspect of our lives that we can laugh about, however, on a more serious note; something really needs to be done about this compulsive desire we have to create some random ridiculous ruckus, at any point in time. Whales have died, and zebra finches have become less faithful to their partners... I just hope that they don't discover that noise pollution reduces our life span by 25%.

Bookwriting Blues

2010-03-25T07:33:00.000Z

So for the 3rd time in the 18 years of my life, I’m attempting to write a book.

My first try was when I was about 5. I started alright, but all the encouragement-nagging-chastising from Mummy just couldn’t get me any further than the last line of the first page. I can’t remember the plot, however, what I do remember is that Mummy ranted for a loooooong period about harnessing my potential, and had some serious explaining to do to my aunty who she had so fervently, pride-fully boasted to...

The second time, I think I must have been about 15. This time, I was determined to finish my 350-page novel, publish it and get the hardcover to read something like “‘Un-putdown-able! A stunning debut from a very promising prodigy!’ – New York Times”. It was basically about some deranged vampire on a killing spree in Accra, who kept his victims necks as mementos, and 5 teenagers who were the only chance of stopping him (Though BNI was definitely more efficient, they didn’t stand a chance). Somewhere on the 4th chapter, however, I ‘lost vim’ and took a break, only to return to my book 9 months later to find it lost to some random computer virus.*sigh* It was not funny.

So a week ago, I decided I want to write a gain. Though I’m somewhere in the middle of the first chapter, I don’t have a complete picture of what the story will look like yet. However, the plot will definitely revolve around teenagers and along with the regular issues of infatuation, ‘peer p’, and rivalry, will delve into some ‘unconventional’ issues that you probably won’t find in your mainstream teen flick. For now, it’s called The Diary Chronicles, but we’ll see what happens along the way...

Right now, I’m battling a week-long-and-still-counting bout of Writer’s Block, but we’ll see how things work out in due time. Do wish me luck!

PS: I was able to write half a song in the shower today, so maybe the muses are falling back in love with me after all. :)

Selfishness; Selfish-less

2010-03-17T10:12:00.001Z

Someone said to me yesterday (let’s call her P), “Takyi, when I’m successful, I’ll mention your name as one of the people who inspired me”. This declaration was unexpected and caught me off guard, and the best I could manage was a lame “Awww” (yeah, I know, lame; sue me!).

But this remark didn’t just cause me to make a slight fool of myself, it also got me thinking about the ramifications of our daily actions. As far as I know, the only contribution I’ve made to P’s life was randomly asking her how her day has been, or having a random conversation about her home in Kenya, or something of the like. Hence, for her to say something like that was not only surprising but also pleasantly reassuring. Reassuring that there are people whose lives are affected by the little things I do. By the choices I make to try to be nice to people (regardless of how undeserving they may be of my oh-so-mighty-and priceless-niceness, hehe), by the choices I make to give people the benefit of the doubt (when it’s so obvious that it’s literally playing Devil’s advocate), by the choices I make to be generous with compliments, by the choices I make to care about people.

Sometimes, people really only need a simple “you’re looking smashing” or “Are you OK?”, to brighten up their day (maybe even reduce the suicide statistics….think about it :D), and by being able to do that, you not only bless a life, I believe you bless two. God says, you do unto Him what you do unto others, hence, by being able to do this, you not only bless a life, you unconsciously bless yourself (Yay!).

Really, it’s not that hard to rid yourself of selfishness and fill your heart with concern for others…. actually, it is, given that we’re inherently selfish beings, but you’ll come to realize that it’s much more difficult and strenuous looking out for your own interest than caring for many; mathematically, that’s a bloody lie, but in truth, it is the truth.

Be blessed.

In The Spirit of Love

2010-03-03T09:03:00.000Z

If Love was my heart
I’d give it to you
If Love was my word
I swear it’d be true
If Love was a colour
It’d never be blue
If Love was a person
It’d always be you

If Love sailed the ocean
It’d never sink
If Love is a potion
Then give me a drink
If Love is my death
Please kill me twice then
I Love has an ending
Let’s start over again

If Love costs a fortune
Take all I have
If Love is pain
Let me never laugh
If Love is a story
I’ll let it unfold
If Love is a fire
Let it burn me whole

If Love is a bird
I’ll let it fly free
To go and then return to me
If Love is a number
For me it’d be three;
For you, me and eternity.

On Lost Joy, and Despondency

2010-02-23T11:31:00.001Z

Shadows cast in sunny places
Forced to hide in open spaces
Malice etched in smiley faces
Long run out of second chances

Absinthe tastes the same as wine
Memories left behind in time
Footprints dissolved into tide
Life feels better in my mind

Drowning on the air I breathe
Orphan of murdered relief
Staring at shattered belief
Dying from my pleasure’s seed

Teardrops on Roses

2010-02-12T13:20:00.001Z

Liquid crystals falling free
From her broken spirit’s draining se
Watering beauty of what used to be
Mourning the death of an eternity

Dawn’s anticipation, dusk’s passion
All merged in a teary picture of a fading past
Sunrise and midnight
All blurred in her swimming eyes
Into bittersweet remembrance

Now
The pieces have fallen into time and circumstance
The petals are falling
Slow dancing with her seeping soul
Falling
Her life before her eyes
Falling
Her heart to the ground
Falling
Hands of sweet caresses
Falling
Teardrops on the roses

Dearest Daddy,

2010-02-08T14:29:00.003Z

Never really got the chance to show you your worth

Somehow I always knew you were God’s gift to earth

Never really got the chance to show you how much I cared

But I hope you heard these unspoken words

There were the times when I thought you just a bore

But I never stopped believing you were exceptional, and much more

However fleeting the time may have been

Thank you Daddy, for giving me my Daddy.

Shards of My Shattered Heart

2010-02-04T07:32:00.002Z

In the spirit of love and sharing, here’s my story of heartbreak. I wrote it when my ex broke up with me…I think I loved her; she thought otherwise.

I can see in your eyes there’s a passion that still burns bright

I can see in your smile there’s affection that still resides

I can hear in your laugh an echo of your heart’s rhythm

I can feel in your touch there’s a love you’re still feeling

I know I said we’d make it work

Work it out, take away the hurt

Guess all I spoke was wasted words

Now reality’s my yesterday’s fears

You made your move and broke it off

Called me up, told me you’d had enough

Guess I thought I could do without

Guess I was right, I have no doubt

Yet I still want you, I won’t lie

My heart’s ripped up, yet I won’t cry

And there it lies, there in your eyes

The broken shadow of our fallen love

I can feel your heartbeat in your spoken words

I can hear the melody, the music of your soul

It’s to the tune of the words my heart calls

I’m sorry I let you fall

Didn’t come running when I heard you call

Looked away when you gave your all

Should have listened to your silent plea

It’s a pity but I couldn’t see

See I love you but I’ve got dignity

Can’t crawl back cuz the jokes on me

Can’t you see the blames not only on me?

I can see beyond, beneath the surface

I can hear the things you do not want to say

I can see the feelings you try to hide

Hide so hard with all your might

Asked if there was something I had to say

Said I was void so you went away

Now my soul’s bruised, I’m alone today

And though I won’t speak, there’s a lot to say

Lots of times I know I hurt you bad

Other times you got me badly scarred

Still I thought we’d sort of last

Because with you I always had a blast

Remember when we cared

Remember things you said

Can still hear them in my ear

Even though you’re no more here

Hear your voice in the air

Feel your touch when you’re not there

When I sleep, I stop and stare

Through it all somehow I bear

Maybe I’ve got stuff misconstrued

Maybe the things I see aren’t true

Maybe I don’t mean much to you

I know the way I feel isn’t new

It’s the same way I felt when I fell for you

I’m not trying to confuse you

Or make you do stuff you don’t want to

I just felt you had to know

Why it’s hard to just go with the flow.

Vindictive

2010-02-01T16:17:00.001Z

Doesn’t it make you sad to think

That everywhere you touch her

I’ve touched her there before

And every time you taste he lips

I’ve tasted them before

And even though she likes you now

She used to like me more?

Behind the Words...

2010-01-29T09:31:00.002Z

I guess it’s time you got to know the person behind the words.

My name is Nana Takyi Baffour-Awuah. I was named after my father’s aunty who was good to him, and I was born on Wednesday, making me a Kweku also. For the first few weeks of my life, my siblings tried to get my name to be ‘Ricky’ but failed (Thank you Daddy for your resolve!).

Speaking of siblings, I have three of them; a wonderful sister who I thought was my mother for a prolonged period of my infancy, and two great brothers who have always had my back, and still do. Before I forget, all the boys (my brothers and me) were born on the 17^th day of our respective months, hence the family joke that Daddy must have planned it; a likely possibility because he was a gynaecologist/ obstetrician/ general practitioner, Mummy is an English Literature teacher (and an author, hopefully sometime soon).

I love music because it provides an avenue to vent and to reflect effectively; it puts things in perspective, and though sometimes, you can’t find the words to say something, there’s always a song that fully captures that elusively inexplicable emotion – I have a special fondness for rock of any kind. I also love poetry because it’s music’s cousin, so I guess its one of those affection by association things. I think my most prized ability is that I can sing. Sometimes when I get sore throats or I wake up all groggy and my voice is messed up, it scares me a little bit; if I found out one day that I’d never be able to sing again, I think the rest of my life would just be one vast expanse of despondency.

I love my family, and the friends that treat me right, and I try (probably not as hard as I should) to love God and appreciate all He does for me everyday. Video games are an experience I think no one should do without (role-playing games are beyond any other kind of electronic entertainment), black- and- white movies are the ambrosia of my soul, and mythology, legend and random esoterica are my guilty pleasure. Thanks to Mummy, I can cook (my grilled chicken is heaven…yes, I can say so myself!) and clean like a seasoned cleaning lady. I’m not very sporty though I enjoy the occasional swim or basketball game; however, thanks to Daddy’s genes, I’m never really out of shape.

I’m not sure of what exactly I want to do in college or what exactly I want to be doing in the next couple of years after it. However, people always seem to trust and rely on me so maybe I’ll end up being a shrink. I do know for sure that by thirty I should be making music with my life and generating income with my investments, so I can retire -if I so please- from my shrinkship by thirty.

Daddy passed away almost exactly three years ago. That was a period of pain, realisation and revelation, but it was also an experience that drew my family together, unified in God’s love. This experience and the rest of my life are responsible for the person I’ve grown into: an extro-introvert, a sympathetic empathiser, a thinker, an assertive achiever, a passionate romantic and a person who tries to make things better when he can.

There’s obviously more to me, but this post is long enough as it is, so I’ll shut up until another day.

Blessings.

Yes, I am TRULY sorry…

2010-01-21T09:54:00.002Z

So I’ve been in hiding for a while, and haven’t bothered to explain, but I’m sorry, regardless.

There’s just been a bit going on lately; I thought my Vassar acceptance was salvation, but turns out it was only a landmark to remind me that I have a whole 6 months more before I get out of this forsaken course, IB; a 6 months characterized by portfolio and essay submissions, and oh yes, the blasted finals all the way in May (I’m getting nauseated just thinking about it)!

But we shall overcome! IB shall NOT take me alive; I shall blow it to smithereens and put the whole evil organization, IBO, which was designed to destroy me to shame! TOK shall fall in the dirt, ON ITS FACE, and Extended Essay will follow suit (all damn 4000 words of it)!

Okay, so now that I’m feeling slightly better about my existence, I guess I can safely promise that I’m going to try to not be brown this year. 2010 means I’m going to strive to be an all-round better person, and that means a better blogger too. I can’t promise anything, though (see above rant) but I can promise that I’m going to try to post as regularly as is possible.

Anyway, gotta run now; the demon that has made me her b*tch is calling.

Blessings.

VASSAR!!!

2009-12-15T00:07:00.001Z

I'm in!

A Moment of Silence...

2009-11-25T10:32:00.002Z

Dear All,
In the face of my transcript
A silence shall fall in this place.
Do wish me luck
Pray I kick some serious butt
And you’ll see me back here
In ten days…
If I can restrain myself :)

Sus amigo,
Tye

Would You...?

2009-11-20T12:18:00.001Z

If I took a vow on life

That I’d love you for all time

Would you let me in your heart?

Would you let us never part?

If for you I stole the stars

And I wrapped them in my love

Placed this firm upon your heart

Would you let me hear your heart?

If my heart echoed your pulse

And all others’ words were false

Kismet bid our love take flight

Would you let me be your light?

Always

2009-11-19T02:01:00.003Z

In my darkest hour

It is you I see

In my deepest prayer

It is of you I think

When I’m broken and torn

My spirit weary and worn

When everyone’s gone

You’re always with me

When they stop believing in me

And everything’s an impossibility

When the winds blow strong and cold

The pressures of life slowly unfold

When I fall down, tumble and roll

You’re always with me

And when I turn my back against your face

Disregard your teachings and your ways

Sprout proud wings and take flight

Forget that it was to you I cried

And you who my tears did wipe

You’re always with me

Loss

2009-11-16T20:48:00.005Z

So I cried a tear today

For a love lost yesterday

And all Neptune’s might

Could not rival the strength

Of the pain

Of the tear

That was cried today

For the tear was birthed

Of the pain

Of a loss

Of a love immaculate;

A love beyond Aphrodite

Beyond time’s eternity

A love beyond life and death

And all that lies in-between

And all that cannot be seen;

For this love was a beauty beyond Helen

Was a pleasure beyond Ambrosia

A treasure beyond the chests of Persia

A reality

Beyond the simplicity of words!

So I cried a tear today

For a love lost yesterday

A love lost

To the depths

Of Neptune's blue.

Shakespearan Homoeroticism

2009-10-29T19:59:00.004Z

So my English Higher Level class is reading Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ and I’m having a blast! From hearing Prospero profess his undying love to Miranda for ‘preserving him’, to seeing Miranda go weak in the knees from inner-thigh tremors when she meets Ferdinand for the first time and ‘e’er sighs’ for him, ‘The Tempest’ is laden with sexual undertones in the words of all the characters (ok…more like half). Funnily, quite a while ago I read some theory about how Shakespeare’s work contains a lot of sexual references (can’t remember what exactly). But when a classmate mentioned that Prospero’s dialogue with Miranda was took sexually-connotative and that he was definitely quenching his lustful thirst in an incestuous manner, it set of a chain reaction of finding naughtiness in all Shakespeare’s characters. My favourite by far, though, has to be from Ariel to Prospero, probably because I didn’t expect homosexual yearnings (or quenchings of yearnings?) to be expressed so openly in Shakespeare’s time:

“Ariel:

All hail, great master! Grave sir, hail! I come

To answer thy best pleasure – be’t to fly,

To swim, to dive into the fire, to ride

On the curled clouds. To thy strong bidding task

Ariel and all his quality.”

hmm…What say you?

Prelude to Our Conclusion

2009-10-16T07:54:00.001Z

I see Us dying before e we’ve been born

A light that could have been

Dimming into nothingness

Darkness

One that dominates my senses

Stimulates my memory

To a time beneath the velvet skies

Under the canopy of glistening celestial diamonds

In my mind

The fragrance of your hair still plays coyly with my nostrils

The caress of your hands still tingle my skin

Like the sea breeze on a warm night

I can still feel the silkiness of your skin

The suppleness of your flesh

Your eyes still speak a truth beyond words

And your lips

Oh those lovely beckoning lips

Their cherry sweetness still remains unknown to me

Yet who says tt ever will be

For now it seems there is more than I can see

There remains too much unsaid

Too little told

Too much held back

A growing gap

An ‘Us’ that’s growing slowly cold

She

2009-10-12T13:46:00.000Z

Flowers are too delicate

Wine, too strong

Honey, too sweet

Me, too perfect

You, too good

She, just excellent

Not quite,

Just she

An(Tye)504

2009-10-06T08:45:00.003Z

*Drumroll*!!! TYE!!!

So my blogger name has evolved from ‘antye504’ to ‘Tye’. It’s different…but not so different [an(Tye)504]. Reason is simple: ‘Tye’ is my personal muse that is also me. Some may term it alter ego but that’s just spooky; I call it my muse that is also my self. It is what I call my creative force and my creative self.

Why the change? Well, ‘Tye’ evolved from a pretty lame alteration (I will not reveal it) of my real name ‘Nana Takyi’ by someone; sounded something like a British accent gone wrong. Then my best friend modified it to ‘Tye’. And I began sign off various things as ‘Tye’. Then I began to sign my writings and poetry, and began to sing as ‘Tye’.

Then I began to contribute to another blog and for the comfort of anonymity, became ‘antye504’; Just in case I said something radical or worst case scenario plain stupid it would not be traced back to me. It’s my email address too so it was kind of convenient in a weird kind of way. Then I started ‘Expression & Poesy’ and the error carried forward. But the games up.

I’m still Nana Takyi Baffour-Awuah, antye504, Tye, whatever you know me as, but when you read pieces of my ‘mind-soul’ you will see ‘posted by Tye’ at the bottom because it is less confusing and because ‘Tye’ creates them…at least for now.

Graduation

2009-10-01T09:24:00.002Z

It’s sad to think

That one of these days

My friends

With whom I shared

My golden days

Those whom I love

My comrades

Will have to go

Their diverse ways

It hurts to picture

That bright morn

Where there is laughter

But I mourn

For friends

I’ll never encounter

When we’re gone

It breaks my heart

Yet I’ll pull through

For I know that

With old friends

Will go old foes

And with coming days

New comrades

Sometimes I Miss Us...

2009-09-30T13:08:00.002Z

Sometimes I miss us

Miss your lips and the bliss of your touch

Miss the hurt; when we healed it was heaven

Miss your voice in my ear

Miss telling you that I care

Miss loving to love you

Miss the eternity of your eyes; I could drown in them for all time

Miss having you in my head

Miss holding you in my heart

Miss misunderstanding your complexity

Miss the stillness of your breathing

Miss the uniqueness in your imperfections

Miss the stirring in my spirit when I held you

Miss the home my soul found in you

Sometimes I miss us...

The Number 13…

2009-08-31T22:35:00.009Z

Numbers rule our lives.

Our lives are divided into sub-units of minutes, seconds and other quantities, prompting us to wake up at a certain time, get to work by a certain time, spend a certain amount of money, work a certain amount of hours and ingest and burn a certain amount of calories. Whether we choose to admit it or not, they govern our very existence, so much so that categorizing them as fragments of divinity may not be too far from the truth. As certain people do. Different numbers are famous for, and mean different things to different people, but the number 13 is in my opinion, probably the most popular and significant.

13 represents ill-luck to many people, a belief largely fueled by the perception of Friday the 13th yadayadayada…Point is, everyone knows that seeing the number 13 means something pretty bad is going to happen, and pretty soon. However, what people do not know is why exactly they believe this (see the break in logic, lol). So, I’ve been doing some reading around and I’ve found out a little bit about why most people have more than just a touch of triskaidekaphobia.

If after reading these facts, you do not feel more than a little apprehensive about the existence of the number 13…you’re weird:)

1.King Philip secretly ordered the mass arrest of all the Knights Templar in France on Friday, October 13, 1307.

2. In numerology, the number 12 is one of completeness (12 hours of the clock, 12 months of the year etc); 13 transgress this wholeness, representing discord and destruction.

3. In the traditional tarot deck, the 13^th card is the death card.

4. There were 12 Knights of the Round Table and King Arthur-An alliance of 13: Arthur died, tragically.

5. Did you consider that there were 13 participants at the Last Supper? The last supper before Christ was crucified?

6. Did you know that Jesus received the Magi on the 13^th day of His life on earth?...The beginning of His end…?

7. In Norse mythology, the number of gods that resulted in the activation of Ragnarok (the beginning of the end) is 13.

8. In 8. In Campania, the expression 'tredici' (i.e. 13) is said when one considers their luck to have taken a downturn.

9. 13 colonies formed the USA, the most powerful country in the world…with a city dubbed The Sin City (besides this, USA relies heavily on 13 in symbolism in other instances….is the USA bound for damnation or is it intrinsically full of iniquity…) *evil laugh*

10. There are traditionally 13 steps leading up to a gallows; a walk of 13 steps to your death…morbid much.

11. Apollo 13 was the only unsuccessful mission by the United States of America intended to land humans on the moon….The oxygen tank exploded on 13^th April 1970. The sum of the digits in 1970 is 17, April is the 4^th month of the 12 month year, 17-4=….13.

12. There are 13 ancient Crystal Skulls; pretty, but faaaaar away from anything good.

13. There are 13 ‘gates’ of the body of the human woman: 2 eyes, 2 ears, 2 nostrils, 1 mouth, 2 breasts, 1 navel, 1 anus, 1 urethra and 1 vagina…Daddy always said women were dangerous :)

There, 13 facts about the number 13….So does the fact that the human body has 13 major joints mean that we’re destined for destruction…? Well, we DO die…so does this confirm the ominousness of the number 13, is it a mark of evil and negativity?

A commentator writing about the Aztec calendar once said that, "Thirteen is a basic structural unit in nature. It means the attracting center around which elements focus and collect." In the Torah, God has 13 Attributes of Mercy, and many other good things relate to the number 13 in other instances, hence its goodness/badness is debatable. One may even call the above facts interesting coincidences, but regardless of your stance, 13 still has the uncanny ability to appear in the weirdest places and when you least expect to see it.

Sources:
http://www.thevesselofgod.com/thirteen.html
http://www.virtuescience.com/13.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/13_(number)
My very own head :)

NB: If you do your own research you may actually find that 13 may be your favorite number…

Regrets

2009-08-28T09:47:00.003Z

If you knew how much I cared
Maybe then you’d shed some tears
For this bleeding heart of mine
That you broke more than one time
Maybe if some things were told
Maybe love would not grow cold
And the emptiness I feel
Will not fill this growing hole
Maybe broken hearts can’t mend
Maybe pain has no true end
But sure as the sky is blue
Part of me will always love you

CARE BEARS

2009-07-09T02:13:00.003Z

I just watched a documentary on the History Channel on the rise in the number of bear attacks in the US. Apparently, the figures used to stand at 1-2 cases every ten (10) years, but now they’ve escalated to a ridiculous 1-2 cases every year! For some reason, the ‘cousins’ of the cuddly, fuzzy playthings many keep in their beds have lost all fear of humans (and it seems fondness) and are on some crazy mission to kill as many humans as they feel like.

A book I read when I was much younger talked about how bears and many other beasts of the wild are not as ‘wild’ as people make them out to be. Apparently there is (was?) more than a 70% chance that a bear will not attack you without some provocation i.e. unless you are stupid enough to go and steal a bear cub you’re quite safe from a bear/ elephant etc. attack. Well, NOT ANYMORE it seems!

It seems the all-consuming pride of humankind has brought our fast-approaching, utter damnation. The bears are chewing human beings, and they are chewing us fast and by LARGE numbers. The experts say the bears have lost their fear because they have gotten too comfortable with human presence, I say fairytale bull. I say we are getting what we deserve. You don’t pick up a rifle and kill things for SPORT and not expect some repercussions?! My faith tells me that we, as humans have dominion over earth and its inhabitants and have the right to slay for food. Not for sport. But regardless of your religion, there’s something fundamentally wrong with taking a (innocent) life and enjoying it. It’s just plain sick; science may tell you that an animal’s abilities on many levels are less acute than humans, but life is life, no matter whom/what it belongs to.

It’s this same disregard for life that translates into our indiscriminate tree-cutting, our incessant pumping of waste-gas into the atmosphere, our constant pollution of all kinds of water bodies and our creation of water bodies that refuse to move, and in turn breed disease and death for us. We are the source of our death, we are the source of our damnation, and until we realize this and make attempts to correct our ways and better our interaction with the rest of the universe we are inevitably bound to destroy ourselves.

The signs are clear: global warming, weird inconstant and unpredictable weather conditions, freak diseases we cannot cure, rampant unprovoked animal attacks….we’re on a shopping spree of extinction.

Update!

2009-06-26T02:00:00.005Z

It’s been loooooong!!! And much has happened in this un-updated time! God has shown me His mercies again and I’m at an all-time high with my faith. I have learned that even if He takes, He also gives and He gives regardless of whether we deserve it or not!

Unto other things, I have learned more about human nature. Occurrences have taught me that people (myself included) need to learn to do a lot more thinking and a lot less talking. People need to take into account other people’s feelings and learn to be less selfish and self-opinionated. People need to watch the things they say and how they say them; what you think is not always wise or right, and just because you have freedom of speech does not mean you can spew the first thing that pops in your head. People need to be able to correct things in their lives before the mock the ‘flaws’ in another’s, and people need to learn to shut up and stop ranting about ‘crimes’ they commit themselves; Like a man beating up his wife and telling the cops that they’re handling him too roughly…?! C’mon! And people need to accept their flaws and be open enough to learn to accept their faults, and learn to say simply ‘I’m Sorry’.

There is no such thing as the perfect human (well, except Christ but that was only exterior-wise) but we should all strife to be the best we can be. We should all strife to be people we can love and be proud of, and people who can be appreciated by those who matter!

Thank you, Jesus. Eres el mismo hoy y siempre entonces, te quiero mucho. I love you much more than I can say in Spanish or English, or a combination of both. Love whoever’s reading this too, u rock!

Genesis 9:3

2009-06-09T11:20:00.002Z

When you call on Jesus

Be still and know

That he will mount you on wings like eagles

And you shall soar to heights

Past your imagination

And beyond your desire

Because He that is within us

Is greater than that which is without

Now, I have no doubt…

Because my ears had heard of Him,

But now my eyes have seen Him;

Now He has given me everything.

Carmille's Lament

2009-06-05T12:45:00.003Z

...Someone else

The thought's so strange...

With someone else...

When you’re little and your mind is free

You can fantasize, oh yes, be happy

But when you realize that life's not what it seems

That’s when you know that it’s too late to breathe

When you’re little and you're daddy's little girl (little pearl)

All that matters is you're daddy's little world

But when you find that daddy's not Zeus, or Jupiter (daddy's not Thor)

Then you know that your end is but a sepulcher

Now I find that my life is not my own

And my choices are but someone else's own (someone else's own)

I cannot cry for I know I must find new love

But someone else, someone else?

It's not fair that I should have to suffer

For they say that I was born beneath a wishing star

But now I have to find a way to fall in love

With someone else, someone else?

It's just not fair that I’m the one to suffer

It's not fair that I’m trapped by my fears

It's not fair that I should have to start again (give your heart again)

Again...

Someone else

Another man?

Someone else...

Friend

2009-06-03T22:50:00.003Z

A friend is the one who’s there when needed

The one who’s there through the laughs and cries

The one who postpones his sorrows for your joys of the now

The same one who’ll come running when your sorrows come around

Friends are priceless gems that show you that life is not as bad as it seems

Friends are the threads that hold together the seams

A friend is the reminder that God is good and he lives in us all

You & I

2009-05-30T20:37:00.004Z

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!!

2009-05-28T15:01:00.003Z

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…

2009-05-20T16:22:00.004Z

¡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

2009-05-19T09:44:00.004Z

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

2009-05-16T11:42:00.003Z

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

2009-05-13T14:33:00.004Z

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

2009-05-12T07:33:00.001Z

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…

2009-05-08T13:08:00.002Z

You definitely know someone - yourself included - called Sisi, Comfort (Connie), Faustina (Faustie), Rose (Rosie), Patience, Philomena (Philo), Veronica (Vero), Prince, Frank, Foster etc
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
You have been abroad i.e. Germany, Hamburg, London, Florida or know at least one distant relative there
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.
Once in church you give beyond your means because you know your blessings are computed by the cedi
It is your pastor who tells you this
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
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)
You have definitely used internet café services before; if you haven’t, stop trying to defend your Ghanaian-ness now, its impossible
Your favorite artists of all time feature Celine Dion, Marc Anthony, Westlife and Akon
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

2009-05-07T07:44:00.004Z

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...

2009-05-05T19:33:00.003Z

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

2009-05-02T14:21:00.003Z

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

Wasted Words

2009-04-30T10:34:00.004Z

This poem was the product of a collabo with a friend, Essie...

Within this verse
Lie wasted words
Fragments of my heart, pieces of my soul
Longing for a happiness I may never know
A twisted reality, cruelty from God
I think and think
And write and write
Yet the thoughts of my mind
I can never really find
And then she flies in
To proclaim my ruin

A breath, then maybe a tear
But let it come, I’ll fight it
Armed,
With my words, with my heart
With my faith
Let it come, and I will fight it
Whatever happens,
There’s no greater cost than my wasted words

My wasted tears
Twisted fears, a forgotten past
I cannot let pass
Still dwells in my heart
Reflects in my eyes
No matter how much
Time passes by

I'm Thankful

2009-04-29T09:46:00.006Z

Last night I was reading a post on maameous.blogspot.com on Thankfulness and I just realized how much there is to be thankful for...I wrote this while walking to school this morning...

I’m thankful for the seasons

The wet and the dry

I’m thankful for the people

Even those that make me cry

I’m thankful for the birds

That fly high in the sky

And the sweet songs they sing

Make me thankful

I’m alive

I’m thankful for a father’s love

That really never dies

And that of a mother

That’s always by my side

I’m thankful for the innocence

That’s in a baby’s eyes

And the warmness in my heart

That reminds me

I’m alive

I'm thankful for my blessed sister

Her generous hand and loving heart

The priceless love of brothers

The opportunity to forgive others

That no sin is beyond forgiveness

That happiness begets happiness

I’m thankful for the surging hope

That comes with breaking dawn

For the potential in a butterfly

That’s yet to be born

For the dew in the morning

That makes Monday bearable

For the fact that being happy

Means there’s one less person miserable

I’m thankful for my friends

That make this journey easier

For the crazy things they do and say

That make my life happier

For the kind words from a stranger

That are welcome and unexpected

And the inspiration they bring

When times look dire

I’m thankful for nature’s beauty

That I get to feel for free

And the ocean that stretches

Beyond the endless sea

That there’s red wine and white chocolate

That’s made just for me

I’m thankful for the losses

That remind you what you’ve got

And teach you to appreciate

What you have lost

I’m thankful that an end

Means a new beginning

And that when the sun goes down

I’ll still be singing

That a passing means a new arrival

That you’ll always be there

Whenever I call

I Love You

2009-04-28T23:44:00.004Z

You’re a beauty beyond words

In your eyes I lose my fears

You complete my happiness

Wipe away my weary tears

In your eyes I find my life

For your love is worth my strife

You’re the rhythm to my life

Give me more than would a wife

You feed my soul

And when I need it you console

My heart you stole

But with that you made me whole

I could go on forever

But no words could ever capture

How much you’re a treasure

How much I love you

TOK TRIP...hmmm

2009-04-28T17:25:00.005Z

Below is an account of the first Theory of Knowledge trip the SOS - HGIC class of 2010 took to Abadi. It was different and enlightening but most of all very fun and i hope the sense of excitement carries through. *There's like one or two inside jokes i think, but i trust this will not mar the piece for you -it was initially written for the school magazine.

So we left the school like a minute or two after 3pm (so technically we were OFF SCHEDULE, YES I was looking forward to that) and got to Abadi at roughly 4:30pm, I believe. Sadly we left the charming females by the lake and looked for encampment further up in the dark dangerous hills. Much to the dismay of certain people who thought themselves a trio of wise men, they got to sleep in the village huts on HAAAARD beds, the lucky ones got the ever-so comfy chalets and the hardest bunch of 22 guys got to sleep in the bar surrounded by a myriad of booze bottles, [shout outs to Mr. Togbor and the female bartender (was her name Esther or something?)] a TV with DsTV which was unavailable and an AC which decided to breakdown when it was most needed.

OK, so we settled in and then the charming females came up to join us on our side where we had supper and then went on to do an activity. Firstly, we were shown a jar of candy and told to estimate how many pieces were in it -at this point I thought this was pretty dull. Later we did another activity. Surprisingly (for me at least), i found this quite interesting for many reasons- Firstly because the task was unusual and secondly because our initial idea underwent mind-boggling modification before our final answer. Also, it was quite amusing and intriguing as to how other peoples ideas made so much more sense(and vice-versa;) that it made you wonder what kept you from thinking further. Oh almost forgot the task: We were split into our different class groups (for some reason green was supposed to disperse so I joined Blue) and each group was given a black box with something in it. We were supposed to describe the structure of the box and what could be in it.

After this we were advised to break up into our groups to prepare for the presentation on Saturday morning. Needless to say some did, others didn’t- C'est la vie. I met with my group by the bar (strange location...?) and we were done in like 10mins. Everybody else was done at about then and somehow the barroom turned into some mini concert hall with me and Ibi on the vocals and Elom on the strings and Zahra and Nah D.....well i guess they could pass for the video girls. Oh yes, all this while Mrs. Hutchful hung out with ‘The Boys’ trying hard to not look thoroughly bored at being surrounded by an excess of testosterone

OK, ffwd, the girls eventually leave *sniff* and it’s literally Boys Night Out. Between ordering countless plates of chicken and drink (nothing naughty, pinky swear), Isaac telling Mr. Togbor about IB HGIC and his whole life story, James browning Isaac, Albert and Jerry thinking they were too deep to let go of their earphones and Leonard just causing havoc among other things we somehow got through the night up until Kamau decided that people needed to sleep and so the lights had to go but the voices could remain below hearing threshold. Consequently, Albert got into deep philosophical discussion with Kimi, Jerry stole my sleeping bag even though I was lending it to him, I tried to steal Caleb’s pillow and at about 3am I DID steal James’s cover cloth- sorry blad but I was cold. Oh yes, I did see Mr. Togbor boozing and then picking a mattress of me to sleep on (this resulted in my pilfering of James’s cloth- his expression was priceless in the morning!)

The next day we were supposed to get ready at about 6: 30, before the girls arrived. The chalets’ water wasn’t running (its called karma) and hence all bathing was done in some basement-like bathroom and a hut serving as a bathroom further down in the Village. The charming members of the opposite sex arrived and we had breakfast. Do I need to state that at this point I was a bunch of nerves because the presentations started immediately after breakfast?

Anyway the presentations started with the Red, Blue and Purple groups beginning the day. I cannot remember which group I joined but it had presentations from Paapa’s group and Harriet’s group and was evaluated by Kamau and Mwalimu. I was very entertained, informed but mostly intimidated especially by Harriet’s group which was especially impressive with an in depth dissection of the subject of Knowing Beauty or The Perception of Beauty (they flagrantly exceeded the time limit though. Ha!). Sources say the other groups were also very good but I can only base this knowledge on language…After this session we had snack.

Drum roll, trumpets blow, my group is the first group for the second session (At this point we had been split into two groups-Green, Yellow). Contrary to my expectation it went better than expected. We talked about language as a way of knowing and it’s role in limiting or redefining knowledge with the Biafra War as the case study, David dropping a couple of jokes(?) here and there. Sadly, Mr.Kitching felt that the topic wasn’t completely dealt with*sniff*. Zahra’s group talked about knowing when killing is justified and Dwayne’s group talked about Mathematics and the mathematician lack of the ability to express himself – Gartaa, trust him, would not take this and this made for some comic relief. I hear Yasmine’s presentation and Ibi’s presentation, both on History, were engaging and insightful (respect!) We were then asked to evaluate our own presentations.

Lunch was next- a choice between banku and jollof. Those of us who considered ourselves European/ Asian/ American/ (any other appropriate description) opted for jollof which by the way someone described as ‘horrid/cardboard-tasting’…. Me, I was hungry and had a third helping as did many others of the male gender (and some females too…). Next thing I knew I was sleeping as were many others until Mr. Kidane came to force us out of Dreamland and all the way to the female encampment.

Here we sat by the lake feeling all exotic and in touch with nature till another activity came along. We broke into our larger groups again and were given profiles of a tribe which we were supposed to act like. My group, Green considered itself divine descendants of a king-deity, Gbalazu who was given divine status and grace along with all his descendants by the river god, Abugri. We were then supposed to interact with the other groups bearing our identity in mind. Later we were given another scenario where our island was sinking and we had to share another island with people from other lands. We were shuffled such that there were 4 people from each group in every group. Bearing, our identity in mind we were supposed to come out with a constitution for the island. After arguing our divinity out ¼ hour the meeting somehow disintegrated.

Some guys played soccer while others hung out in the girls’ rooms…well, until Mrs. Hutchful seemed to think that this was risky (lol! with a large number of both sexes in an uneven ratio). Eventually the guys left to shower and get ready for supper and the looooong -awaited jam.

Supper was Fried rice and Chicken which could definitely have done with some spice. Then somewhere between trying to fix the obdurate AC and Jerry and Edwin doing things with the music the jam, started… it was insanely hot (the weather, that is) and the speakers bungled twice. Eventually, it was moved to Chalet 1(or was it 3?), where I can only say it was a success, thanks to HAMJ. All this time, Paapa, Anna and Edwin (Buddha himself) were making the kebabs- thanks guys, Bra Albert is proud of you.

The girls left after exchanging jets of water from water sachets with the guys outside. The night ended with more chicken and a discussion on dwarves (yes, its true) among other things by which time I had seized Leonard’s sofa.

Sunday, we had breakfast and got back our estimates of the quantity of sweets and were supposed to come up with consensual estimates (experiential ones) for our groups (the Black Box ones). Sefa then won the jar with an estimate of 214 sweets, which was actually 210, I think (London juju) and all hands were on deck for its consumption. Next, we were supposed to make 2min evaluation-presentation of the blog. Reviews were generally good but EVERY group wanted facebook unblocked (hint, hint). Some more chicken and then we hit the road. En route, Isaac organized a turkey-backside (chofi/kyofi) feast at the back of bus and Paapa killed some aboloo. I’m not sure when we got back but expressions were ambivalent.

This trip taught me that the idea of 22 boys sleeping in a bar is not as absurd as it sounds, opening one’s mind to other opinions does wonders and that I have to get out of IB!

Pretty long; guess I got carried away by the memories

*Did I mention that the bus left 2 people and that the dwarves had their revenge on Isaac? -Only in the graduating class of 2010!*

As I Grow Older

2009-04-28T17:09:00.004Z

As the pendulum swings

As I grow older

Life with it brings

New things to ponder

As each day I cry

And say a bye-bye

I get stronger

As I grow older

Some people they hate

They hate with no reason

And others they change

They change with every season

It’s hard to explain

This life and its pains

But the pain comes with gains

And they come all over again

You cannot win

In this world full of sin

Doesn’t matter what you do

Wouldn’t matter if you knew

Their expectations

You cannot reach

Their expectations

You cannot practice

What you preach

The goals you set

They will not let you reach

Your very sense

They will let you breach

As I grow older

The road gets longer

Tomorrow’s an eternity

Full of new complexities

ALL-TIME MUST-READ BOOKS...

2009-04-26T19:52:00.004Z

If you've ever felt like there's no book for you, my condolences...but there's a light at the end of the tunnel and it is my appointed duty to lead you to it. Je te presente, six of the ultimate best in modern (and not so modern) literature...Works you may read for the very first time and works you may love to read again

Wine, dine and unwind as you indulge in the sumptuous works of some of the most brilliant minds and imaginations...

THE CHRISTMAS TRAIN- David Baldacci
The perfect book for the holiday season, Baldacci's words will make you yearn for Christmas like no other book has. It is the light-hearted tale of a disillusioned journalist who must get from Washington to L.A. in time for Christmas. By a fortunate (or not so fortunate) twist of fate, he is forced to travel by train, resulting in encounters with characters from your very own life and a hilarious, thrilling tale. This book will touch your heart and keep you smiling the whole book through. *Watch out for Agnes Joe- muy fenomenal!*

THE GREEN MILE- Stephen King
If you have watched the motion picture, you will love the book. Green Mile is the (sometimes eerie) story of life on death row. Here you will be introduced to characters from the psychopathic "Billy the Kid" to the possessed Eduard Delacroix and John Coffey. Accused of raping and murdering two young girls, Coffey has been sentenced to death. Come explore with King, Coffey's guilt and discover for yourself, the intricacies of this demon's personality... (Angel...?)

TRYPTICH- Karin Slaughter
This is by far one of the best books I have ever, ever read. Set in the past present and future, it is a book true to its title. When Detective Michael Ormewood is faced with one of the most brutal killings in his career, he does not know that it is only the beginning of a string of equally gruesome murders linked to his past... A past so dark and ridden with secrets it cannot and will not stay buried. This book will make you ponder your life's decisions and the people you hold dear...

THE HOMING- John Saul
Three words- light, deep HORROR. Karen Spellman is moving with her children to the countryside with hopes of rewriting her life on a fresh, clean slate...but something sinister awaits the Spellmans; a hideous evil of nature itself fashioned in the very pits of Hades. It has waited hard and long for its perfect victim...and the Spellmans fit the specifications quite accurately. It may not appeal to all but this book will make you squirm and literally look over your shoulder even in the light of day.

ANGELS & DEMONS- Dan Brown
This novel beats The Da Vinci Code. HANDS DOWN. Its is an amazing mystery woven round the Catholic Church, the legendary Illuminati and the little-known (to the scientifically bankrupt…and others) antimatter. Set in Vatican City, Robert Langdon, a Harvard Symbologist believes his sole mission is to stop the secretive Illuminati from destroying the Vatican City with the newly-discovered power of antimatter. However, you and he together will discover that there's always more beneath the surface. Absolutely enchanting! Literally Un-put-down-able!!

WAITING TO EXHALE- Terry McMillan
This book is authentically black, completely undiluted and absolutely delicious. The book is based on 4 'sistas' and their relationships with men and one another. All 4 are waiting for the day they can feel comfortable in a committed relationship with a man; they are 'waiting to exhale'. This book explores the complexities of life and the fundamental things that make us laugh and cry. No matter the color of your skin, this book is sure to move you to tears and/or make you fall over in rumbles of laughter. As good as the motion picture.

There are definitely other books that will no doubt tickle your fancy, regardless of your personality. However, I am a busy man with a very busy life and an education I’m committed to, so you shall be guided further down this path in the next edition. Hasta pronto!

“Books are the windows through which the soul looks out”
-Henry Ward Beecher-

His Love, My Inspiration

2009-04-26T19:35:00.004Z

Don’t ever give up when the going gets tough

Remember you can never try hard enough

And if ever you trip and fall

Brush off the dust, don’t sit and crawl

Because someone’s always got your back

Even when you believe life’s hollow and dark

Don’t despair, never fear

Never ever shed a tear

Just know He’s always there

Always cares

Never gives you what you can’t bear

It’s so much easier to mope, lose hope

Forfeit what you could achieve

In refusing to believe

Insisting on resisting to love Him

On opening up your heart to His loving embrace

Pursuing the world and shunning His grace

Assuming the most you can do

Is the same as the most you are willing to

He’s the sweetest friend you could ever know

And a life without Him is bound for sorrow

A life without Him is a sunless summer day

But his blood was shed to give us grace

It is wholly our choice to make

Our bond to break or chance to take

Mummy

2009-04-25T19:11:00.003Z

Sweet you are

Much sweeter than honey

A greater treasure than gold

Always around to inspire and push me

Someone to hold when life gets cold

Beautiful lover of my soul, flaws and all

Always ready to catch my fall

Gentle, sweet, dedicated strong

My favorite, familiar, melodious song

My angel without wings

To my life, joy you bring

And even though I went astray

You never kept me at bay

Taught me to love, taught me to pray

Still loved me with a priceless heart

Did more than just play your part

God’s gorgeous masterpiece within and without

A priceless jewel we could not do without

The scales of life could not measure your worth

And though four times you gave us birth

To our home you still brought mirth

If words could express my love and pride

A thousand books I would write

And still not convey what you mean to me

Because my love for you is like a sea

Unchanging, Unending, Ever-growing, Evergreen

Ménage a Trois

2009-04-25T11:20:00.004Z

Your eyes escape mine

Your feelings elude me

There’s no time

In this fragment of eternity

There’s just us

You

And love

***

It’s about time

We gave up the pretense

Laid down the defense

Give in to what

We tried to hide

Drown in the fatal sweetness

Of this deep dark adventure

Laugh in awe

At all its hidden splendor

Drink in

Its unsung melodies

Keep memories

As heartwarming trophies

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