D.R.U.N.K.A.R.D.S

Captured phantoms
Fading souls
Hollowed pieces
Trapped in endless empty plains
Eclipses of despair dancing to drowsy beats of concocted reproach
Echoes of self-loathe drifting out of surrendered worth
Chasing dangerous excitements
Lives ebbing away
Gulp by gulp

Contesting Realities

On this side of the political wasteland
The real unending terrain of utter depravity
Sustained purely by auspicious idealism
In a world of
Unfettered neighbourliness
Obscene warmth
Colour
Culture
Humanity
Great Friendships
Genuine selflessness
Gifts of beautiful smiles
And little else
But chronic anger
At
That side of the divide
The mundane world of the privileged
Inhabited by sub-souls devoid of ubuntu
Driven by rat race persuasions
The neo-apartheid world of heartless realism
With their
Cocooned spaces
Celebrated self-imprisonment
Emotional coldness and distances
Personalised boundaries and walls
Obscene consumerism
Incorrigible selfishness
Rotten personalities
Disdainful attitudes
Repulsive glares of wanton animosity
And mulish conformity


Having tasted the free lunch of the looted kind
They want more
And more
Now they have forgotten how to be human
How did these ordinary folks become such utter degenerates?
Letting themselves go so far
Becoming slaves in a world of no return
I dread a monumental collision of these contesting realities
Is there a way out?

The Dilemma Of A Married Man

The opportunity cost of being a married man, I have always thought, is the beautiful and juicy low-hanging fruit in Eden which you are forbidden from tasting.
My sincere assumption has been that most people consider marriage to be a permanence of the commitment between two people coupled with the blissful disallowance of any form of conjugal parallelism at all cost.
However from what I am seeing and hearing around me, I am fully persuaded that this unfortunately is not the reality of many married people.
So many married men and women are no longer sure of the necessity of commitment to their spouses. The ease with which many have abandoned ship is simply cowardly.
I would rather people stayed away from marriage than rush into something they are not willing to honour and fight for.
I pray that this persuasion of mine is not considered a prudish banter.
To me it is the right thing to do.
Cheers.

Avoiding The Sackable Offences @ Work

With the hurricane of economic recession blowing all over the place, I feel the need to do a 'sankofa' on recession-proof value systems at the workplace. To avoid becoming a statistics, I am trying to make a list of offences that normally give bosses reasons to terminate contracts and appointments.
My list of offences that will trigger an instant firing at most companies are:

• Using company computer for viewing 'otherworldly graphics'. The IT department regularly monitors the websites company staff visit. They will sooner or later take a look at what you are watching and raise a hell of alarm. Then you will be toast. So I stick to the trustworthy and decent websites as much as I can.
• Office Affairs. Hanky pankying around with work colleague(s) especially if either one or all of you are married. Most companies will boot you out pronto before you could say 'bra ha'. I don't play around. I am no angel but I choose to stay true to my wife and to myself.
• Frauding the System. There are always those who are smelling the rat even where there are none. Any fraud will eventually bring out the stink. I allow integrity to rule in everything I do as far as possible. They say a good name is better than riches. I truly believe that this is fundamental.
• Professional misconduct. Professional misconduct at the workplace is tantamount to suicide. It will destroy your career. I have made a choice to become an ethical practitioner of my profession. No matter what happens my conscience must stay clean and clear. That is my choice.
• Failure to fit in the team. The inability to work independently within a team is perhaps the greatest sign of lack of commitment to the company. I have really come to appreciate the fact that the workplace is not just a place to accomplish tasks and deliver targets by deadlines. It is also a social platform to showcase one's humanity. Showing an interest in the well-being of others is as much important as building shareholders' value. I really put premium value on the emotionally intelligent folks who are able to get along with both their principals and their juniours without any hidden motives.

Why am writing all this? I suppose I need to capture for myself some of the value systems that I hold so dear. I hope I will live long enough to share them with my children's children.

Have a blessed weekend, pal!