Moving On

Seasons
Decked in their finest robes
Calling

Melodies
From within my boundless sanctuary
Bubbling

Faith
The chequered currency of glory
Beckoning

Footsteps of the purple twilight
Whirlwind of contentment
The summon of courage

Close at hand
The time
To move on
To press on

Blessed are those
Led by the guiding whispers of accompanying audience
Trust fate in the embracing arms of hope
Carried on wings of favour
To the womb of resurrection

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

Thoughts About A Father

Walking through fallowed fields of my soul

Happy memories of a father

The price of precious pursuits

The charm of unfeigned sobriety

The endearing portrait of virility

The assurance of strident care

The fervency of fortitude

A surreal thesis of fatherhood

Engrafted upon my heart

Jennifer Hudson on my Mind

On my way to work today, Radio 702 was playing Jennifer Hudson's Spotlight song.
It's been more than two hours now and I can't seem to bring myself from under Jennifer's spell.
After catching myself belting out the song the umpteenth time, I am beginning to wonder why there is such a strong cognitive itch with that particular song just a few days after my birthday?
Is there perhaps a relevant lesson hidden somewhere in the song for me today?
I wonder.

Fields Of Puzzles

The cruel tricks that life ever plays
The games of chance he dearly frays
Perpetual winner he never vows
Glorious trophy ever in his paws
Trailing voices all around
Diminishing choices set abound
Tension
Contention
The valiant ones amongst them say
Hold sturdy for yet another day
Beyond the sighs the victory songs
Rays of hope on redeeming tongues
Sacrificial patience
Animated nations
Steely-eyed we crave some easing
Transcending limitations of feeling
This place where life feels so strange
Our lot has got to change

Contemporary Ghanaian Contrivances

Living outside the borders of Ghana, as I do, one of the few self-preserving delusions I allow myself to harbor and indulge in regularly is this puritanical and idealistic image of Ghana and Ghanaians-the feel-good this-type-of-sh*t-can-never-happen-in-Ghana lines, refrains and pretences Ghanaians so love to carry like a badge of honour.
Perhaps, like many a Ghanaian, I have developed an image of Ghana largely based on false idealism- a hollow concept that places Ghana on an impeccable pedestal of high moral excellence.
On many occasions, I have found myself comparing the Ghanaian way of life to those of other people, cultures and value systems and puffing out my chest proudly in the belief that our way, the Ghanaian way, is far superior. I have always contented myself - that Ghanaians are not criminally minded as others; that the cases of teenage pregnancies in Ghana is below the continental average even though I do not have the facts to support such an assertion; that Ghanaians are a breed of hard-working geniuses; that Ghanaian men do not rape their women and girls; that our education system is one of the best, if not the best in the whole continent; that Ghanaians are the most friendly and peace-loving people in the entire world. . . . .I suppose that I am referring to my own irrational assumptions of Ghanaian exceptionalism.
I am perfectly aware of the fact that Ghana is far from this idyllic picture of perfection I have chosen to believe in, however I cannot seem to bring myself to admit that the view I hold of Ghana, when outside, is outright naive, unreasonable and even deceptive. Call it patriotism, nationalism or whatever you like.
Every time I am in Ghana, my idealist views come into sharp confrontation with what pertains in the real world of today's Ghana. But as soon as I am outside Ghana's borders, guess what, the same idiosyncratic mindset creeps in. So today I want to dwell on some Ghanaians peculiarities for a change.
This preconceived Ghanaian 'superiority complex' has got to go.
To accept an image of Ghana which is totally different from the enormously deficient one I have been carrying, I believe, is the beginning of a therapeutic release from my self-imposed idealism. So? ? ?
Here are a few of my observations regarding the absurd contrivances we so cherish and love to pursue.
Our funerals
We are a bunch who love entertainment. So we even trivialise the funerals of our departed ones and turn what is supposed to be solemn moments into mindless occasions for parties, where all sorts of debauchery are not only permitted but encouraged with glee. How we love to lavish attention on the dead as supposed to the living! No wonder funerals are the primary occasions where families and communities come together. In many cultures, a funeral is short and simple-solely built around bidding farewell to the dead.Nothing more nothing less.
Our cultural mindset is the opposite. We are always looking back such that we place obscene value on what is dead and past and not enough focus on the future, on our children, our jobs and our dreams.
Perhaps, it is a symptom of our collective fear of the future? So we hold unto the past?
Valentine day celebrations
Not only have we embrace the vanities of other cultures but have jump into them head first. A case in point is the celebration of valentine day. We have managed to take it to levels previously unheard of any where else. Husbands leaving their wives at home and splurging on mistresses and other people's wives with wanton gifts they cannot afford, whilst their children walk around in tattered clothes. Misplaced priorities.
Sakawa
The get-rich-quick by-all-means phenomenon of sakawa is another contrivance in Ghana today. We have perfected the science of swindling other people of their hard-earned money for our selfish use.
We have become a society gripped by the urgency of 'having, using and enjoying' instead of one concerned with 'doing, creating and becoming'. And the sad reality is that nobody bothers any more to ascertain the source of people's wealth.
To us wealth is wealth irrespective of the source and the processes involved in its acquisition. That is why many Ghanaians never bother to learn and develop the habits, skills and the value systems needed to create wealth for ourselves and our communities.
Disregard for integrity
We are as vain as it gets. Most of us claim to be believers but our actions do not bear testimony to our faith. The idea of integrity is a foreign concept to most Ghanaians. Our own kith and kin do not brink when it comes to taking advantage of us. Comfort and convenience triumphs over integrity and accountability in our corner of the world.

And I think that we are not as awesome as we think we are!

Deluged With Delight

There is something
To be said about a happy heart
In my dream the other day
I was walking alone on this path
Unsure
Confused
Then
From within I heard it clear
The lucid voice saying
Sing a song
Hype a ballad
Give voice to your heart
Suddenly
Hymns of contentment flowing
I am standing in million circles of desire
Being baptized with favours I require
Soaked with fresh appetite for adventure
I am feeling empowered to venture
And so I run
And run
On
And on
And I begin to soar
Higher
And higher
My heart deluged with delight
I am in a happy space



* Wish me well*

The Street Child

An unwanted
Deserted
Being
Raised
On the streets
By no one
For no one

A jagged phantom
Of a wizened childhood
An ejected nestling
Roaming
The veins
And arteries
Of cities and towns
With no obligation
And no consideration

A vagabond
Of wretched existence
A weed
A parallel life
Doting
Alongside
Contours of unconsciousness
Like an aborted shadow
With no voice
And no choice

An apoptotic blip
Programmed to deviate
So he wanders
All his life
Searching
Itching
For his lot
In all the wrong places
Without peace
And without ease

Fate Or Choice?

I could not believe my eyes
The last time I saw him
My best childhood buddy
Hair hyper-greyed
Head bowed eternally to the gravity of indignity
Shoulders sagging to the tunes of depravity
Pot- bellied by the cruelty of his blight
A beautiful life wasted by the misery of his plight
A precious soul arrested by the animosity of his circumstance.
When and where was the wrong instance?

In this season of goodwill, please remember those less fortunate than yourself.

Game Of Chance?

Forget about serendipity. There is more to this than meet the eyes.
What is the probability of running into the same lady, a casual acquaintance, in three different places in three days?
Whilst you are mulling over that, the first thing I noticed on each of the 'random' encounters is the lecherous stir in her eyes. The third encounter did set alarm bells in the mind.
What did I do on the third occasion? I faked a smile and move on with my business, ignoring her. But deep within I felt there was something sinister going on.
Am I being paranoid?

Susan Boyle on the Boil!

Scottish singing sensation, Susan Boyle is making a name for herself and in the process raking in serious bucks. Her star is about to shine like you wont believe it!
Having come up second in the 'Britain's Got Talent' reality show, Ms Boyle is carving a place for herself in the global music industry. She has already sold over a million copies of her debut album I Dreamed A Dream in the UK and US alone. Currently enjoying an unprecedented run in the charts both the US and the UK, she is on her way of becoming a superstar. Ms Boyle has sold more than 410 000 copies of I Dreamed A Dream - the biggest first week sales for a debut album in British chart history.
The album has outsold the rest of the top five albums combined, including boyband JLS, Black Eyed Peas and Queen. The 48-year old Boyle is also climbing the US charts and "is already outselling Rihanna, Lady Gaga and 50 Cent", according to her spokesperson.
A fascinating example for all late bloomers.
May her star as well as yours continue to shine in years ahead.

Improper Fractions

Zombies
Restless souls
Prisoners of vanity
Rolling stones
In perpetual motion
Improper fractions
Defying logic
KM was one of them
An Uncle dearly beloved
Was close to half a century when he dropped
The fatal flaw
Unwillingness to stick to only one dearly conjoined
He lived a passerby's dream
Wilds seeds sown across the field
Fatherless mob
Incomplete souls
Unanswered questions in tearful hearts
I am crying
I am cringing
Is there a way to repair the breach?
Will the genes receive redemption?
I dread a replicating portfolio full of bile
Disasters
Heartaches
Circles of shame sprouting behind the barns
I spare a thought
I say a prayer
Concoctions from above thrown across the fields
Healing balms in view
A new horizon
Rains of restoration pouring down
Garments of praise on the lines
There is hope after all

Beyond The Pale

Behaviour scientists, I now believe, are not the only bunch who are fully persuaded that the supreme interests of men primarily revolve around three issues: chicks, cars and booze.
Even a sect of the much respected domain of biology now postulates that mother nature is also a believer in this far-fetched psychology of men. They point to the fact that the population of the female specie is increasingly outpacing that of the male and they ascribe this phenomenon to the redeeming work of mother nature. According to them, mother nature, being the good economist that she is, is trying really hard to meet the insatiable demand of men for sex by supplying more chicks! They call that demand and supply. Don't they?
So yes, obviously mother nature like most mothers love her boys. And how do you show your love for your boys? By providing in abundance what makes them happy. . .Chicks! Lol.
I don't believe for a second that men are necessarily helpless in self-control in the matters of chicks. For goodness sake, we are not all obsessed with sex. Or are we?
I have got a beautiful, delightsome and responsive wife. Once in a while I may inadvertently steal a glance at a beautiful chick walking past, but I know how to control myself.

Another group of 'weirdos' who are not only believers but practitioners of this codswallop are marketers and advertisers. We are bombarded ad nauseam with flicking ads of men apparently enjoying the best that life has to offer, gulping down tonnes of beer and other forms of booze. Those who don't drink, are made to feel like a lost generation, a hopeless lot unaware of what they are missing.
I refuse to fall for their mind games. The last time I checked water was still better than anything with a percentage above 5%. After all the last time somebody gave me a certain beverage to drink, I felt totally drowsy after only five sips. When I finally brought myself to read what was written on the bottle I realised to my horror of horrors that the 'non-alcoholic beverage' was in fact 5%.

Then, oh yes, C.A.R.S. Geez. I love cars. I love the smell of new leather seats. I love the feel of pedals under my feet. The purr of a smooth engine responding to my every command is almost irresistible. But again nothing can make me go and spend tonnes of money on a new ride just because someone decides to play a sublime trick on my mind by showing an ad of a dude gliding down the road in a latest German car.

The question is what is so difficult about staying true to oneself?
What drives these middle-age, married men to not only cheat on their wives but also pat each other on the back whenever they gather around the booze alter to chat about their latest wild escapades with chicks and of course fantasize about the latest cars.
Is that all there is to the world of men? Is that what respected family men are expected to do?
Or perhaps is it true after all that the modern man is not all that evolved as we want to believe that we are? Probable today's men are still cavemen in every sense of the word.
Next time I meet with my friends I will introduce something pretty decent. We shall talk about, erm, . . . architecture, the architecture of love.

Blessings!

Today I want to blog about God's goodness.
At church last week Sunday, the Pastor taught about the need to learn to truly trust God during all seasons of life. We were encouraged to write down the names of the seven people that first pop into our mind right there and then and pray for them for the entire week. After the service, we had a pleasant time of fellowship together. Then, one by one, individuals and families left for their homes.

As at today, I have received calls and SMS from more than ten people informing me about different blessings that they have received as a result of the spiritual exercise.
I thought of sharing this to encourage somebody to give God a chance in his/her life.

Malcolm Gladwell's BLINK is a Superb Read

I am in book mode like you won't believe it!
I love books, good books. But sometimes it becomes almost impossible to get quality time to indulge.
So early this week, I decided to make time and go on a date with two of the reads I was given some time ago. At present I am almost done reading ‘blink: the power of thinking without thinking’.
The author, Malcolm Gladwell, who wrote also ‘The Tipping Point’-a phenomenal bestseller.
Born in London to a black Jamaican ( Denise's compatriot) mother and an English maths teacher, he grew up in Canada. ‘Blink’ is an fabulously good read. It is a book that helps to develop one’s intuitive capabilities and teaches how to trust one's gut especially in moments when one needs to make a decision on the spur.
If you see this book, get it like you would a bullion of gold. If there are any good reads you care to recommend, please, do so.
Got to go. The books are calling.

Contemplations

"I am a watcher

I came as a visitor and

I am still watching my mind now"

. . . Zim Ngqawana

I think that I am entering a new phase in my life. I sense within me a shift of priorities.

I am certainly entering a new phase in my life, spiritually speaking, where I sense the need to always weigh personal ambitions against the welfare of those around me.

The quest for a personal, practical and fine balance between the intellect and intuition all of a sudden seems like a wholesome pursuit worthy of a life-long commitment.

There was a time in my life, when I was hard-hearted, uncaring and ungrateful.

Today. I see myself differently. I am learning to bring a sense of balance in my life. I am learning to prioritize and live by a value system based primarily on elevating the concerns and needs of those around me, my loved ones, above my own.

Selflessness, empathy and the desire to treat others with honour have always been part of my life, but now it seems to me that I am awakening to a much higher level of relationship with others.

I am asking myself whether I have been missing the human experience all along?

I am wondering if I am, perhaps, stepping into sentimentality? I am really not sure.

These are some of the issues gripping my mind as I begin the first week of June.

I have got to go. Bye.

Do you Believe In Visions?

Early this morning, whilst having my quiet time, I had a closed vision.
A really exciting vision if you ask me.
I saw a green bucket half-filled with nominal cash sitting before me.
Also in my hands was a huge bundle of cash in the same currency.
It was a really short vision. Just as it came, it suddenly went.
It appeared to me as if I was removing the white strips of paper binding the cash, counting it and then placing it in the bucket.

I am still trying to understand the vision.
Three things are clear though.

• A green bucket ?????????????????
• Lots of crisp cash in an unknown currency ?
• Cash was properly bundled in white paper strips ?

If you really understand visions( not dreams because I was awake), please help me out here with understanding.

Easter Was Good.

I am still trapped in my pretty holiday mood.
I had a really fantastic Easter celebration. Family & friends met to spend quality time together.
I was at this programme where many people prayed for the current global economic maelstrom to peter out quickly and for the resurrection of Africa's economy and prosperity.
It appears to me that more and more folks are talking and getting together to do something about the need for new waves of investments and diversification across Africa's economies.
I am pretty certain that the second half of the year will bring out better news than what we have been reading and experiencing since the second half of 2008.
Meanwhile I hope to be back on my feet by the end of the week.
I am looking forward to reading updates on bloggersville.
Best wishes to everybody .

Plumber Gives Away Plum Treasure

In this dreary season of severe shortage of all manner of cash, how could a cash-forsaken plumber mistake a bounty of a treasure for a bomb?
A clueless plumber digging a drainage system for the purpose of installing water pipes in the East Rand of Johannesburg comes across a sopping cooler box buried about two metres below the surface.
Convinced that he had chanced upon a deadly cocktail of super bombs similar to Saddam Hussein's yet unearthed weapons of mass destruction, he dialed the police hot-line to report that the clicking devices are about to flatten the motherland.
The bomb disposal unit arrives in a flash.
Box is meticulously opened and... instead of a dreadful beast of super bombs, they unwrap 1.5 million rands in hard cool cash.
Cops dutifully load bounty into their car for 'further investigations', leaving behind bewildered plumber to his fate of digging up dirt.

What would you have done?