A Note to God

#3 of the Seventeen Series!

> by Zoe
--she wrote this on my birthday--

>>

Thank you,

For nice sunny rains

For the hyraxes everywhere

For big soft towels

For these big savannah landscapes

For sunscreen (SPF 40+)

For flip-flops with fuzzy threads

For the day I saw a rainbow round the sun

Like a beautiful jeweled crown

For that day when the setting sun colored me peach

I know you did it for me :-)

For the occassional perfect score

For Linda when I can't tame my hair

For knowing why, when I cry

For keeping me together even when I feel I am in pieces

For Princely: to cry on
[make more of these Lord - haha]

For Sing Afrika: joy

For the Wednesday Night Worship

A place where I can be me, with you

For friends like Michelle,

Moze, Hilda, Dave and Lyn:

They make Daystar worthwhile

For roomies that fetch me water

For the Borehole, Lord (can't take it for granted)

For rocks everywhere:

they remind me of you - My Rock!!!!!

For quiet Saturdays

When everyone's not there but you

For handling ever so gently,

they that matter most to me!

Thank you for the Dining Hall food (though I detest it) -

For chips being in the menu

and for Afia (Lord, you knew I'll need it)

For Chapo Smokie (don't like it) -

thanking you for those who do

For good books that tickle,

Little Inn's guacamole,

and this world full of funny people.

Thank you for the La Flams,

for my Sunday pals -

how I have grown to love them!

Doulos: papaa - thanx a lot,

MA!!!!

The High Table boyz:

It can't get any sillier...lol!!

For pillows, and faded jeans,

For friendships that outlast time,

For hearts that continue to love mine

For arms that stay wrapped around me.

Thank you for the quiet moments,

when I forget all the projects due,

close my eyes, and - inevitably - find you!

Thank you for being unchanging

and when I am changing - for understanding!

AND!!!!...most of all

Thank you for days

that the server is down -

Lost all my work -

TWICE!!!

(...imagine!!!)

And all I can do...

...is write all this for YOU!!!

Reply

# 2 of the Seventeen Series

>>

Much Love!
May the light in you shine soooooooooo bright -
to illuminate you -
to show you where to tread -
to allow reflections of the beauty that your are -
but to blind demons, and the Devil -
and to burn your troubles ((and dragons??))

----------
In reply to Dan's "Wish on Facebook"

A Wish on My Wall on Facebook

#1 of the Seventeen Series

>>

Long may you live -
conquer the dragons of your world,
find the light,
that your end may be more glorious
than your beginning.
May your Death be quick and painless,
and may you long foresee it,
that you may make ready ere the end
...
but before that time comes,
have a wonderful ride through this "Life"-thing!

By Daniel Mugo
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//This is the first poem I received for my birthday!! - on my wall on facebook//

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with tiny apologies to Dan, my friend

Welcome to The SEVENTEEN Series: Celebrating ME - Nov 13th

Welcome...

...where do I begin??

Nov 17th marks the opening of the Seventeen Series (limited edition) - enjoy:
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The 13th of November is Princely Day, and to celebrate it a new series has dawned: welcome to The Seventeen Series!

Designed to appreciate and celebrate my seventeen years on this beautiful planet:

<<Rewind: Nov-12th-2008, a Wednesday! (exactly one week after Obama's win)
Morning: an almost-boring Math class. Get results for the last CAT. Not good: a B+
Class ends!
Afternoon: Very hungry organism. Rush to Dining Hall. First one in for lunch!! (haha - that means I get soooooooo much french fries, and sooooo hot too). French-fries and burger - mmmm - delicíosó!
After-lunch: Go to Imani. Read about Obama. Discuss Obama with Manius (I have strong reservations towards Obama!!). Very heated discussion! We forget - for an hour or so - that we were to do math! Obamascussion continues... OMG we have to do Math! Math for an hour!! I remember promise to Titus. I have to go for prayers at Anne-Marie's. At 2:00. OMG: it's 3:00.
Rush rush rush!! Zoom off to off-campus! I am surprised to see almost all my friends (including ORAY and KEVO) at the "prayer meeting." I am a very happy fella. Somebody takes my iPod
...so iChat with Nancy.
Gotcha: then cakes and sodas start coming in, and being hidden. I see them. Nothing crosses my mind though. Then, boom: "SURPRIIIIISE" - I join in the chant. In my mind I'm like "who is it we're surprising."
Soooo??: "But why are all eyes on me??" "Umm, could it be... NO! They can't be surprising me!! Why would they? It's not even my birthday or death day or anything!!"
After two minutes of loading, my mind finally understands. The person being suprised is actually me. They couldn't do it on the thirteenth. Being the genius that I am (or so they think) I must have known that it was MY surprise party. (Well, Linda also prayed that God blinds me so I don't even guess anything!) These feelings of... surprise? - shock? - what??... run up and down my throat. My heart freezes. I can't even show anything!! OMG! (at least it was Julian and Monique's party too coz I also got a few laughs when the two froze in a shocking "you too!!")

For all of you who almost made my birthday a deathday - thanx for the surprise!
Thanx Anne-Marie for the house; thanx Zoë for being big sis (and all the "benefits" that come with that) for seventeen years now; Michelle - my Daystar Mom - I thank God Linda didn't claim me for her son (si unamjua ana watoto elfu kumi!) - you're a blessing; thanx to all my friends for almost killing me, for adorning the party, for being yourselves and making me a better thing by allowing myself to fluorish around you - you're the greatest gift I have (is this true?? - haha!!); and - very very much - to Linda, for being Ramboo and orchestrating all this for undeserving me, for being a dustbin of my old not-so-funny jokes (and enjoying it), for washing the dishes (even when I ask you to help), for bringing Nduko and Mwumbuo (incorrect spelling?), for listening to God, and for...____________fill the gaps bwana nimechoka...

Mami and Papi, where would I be without you? (literally):

For being the change you want to see in this world.

For allowing a fusion of your genes to create this beautiful soul called me.

For giving me the most handsome name the world has ever boasted of.

For praying for me even before I was born.

For being supportive of me in almost all I do.

For never ceasing to believe that I am a genius - especially when I got straight-Fs in math in high school (and now, at sixteen - youngest in my varsity - and getting straight-As in math except for this one B+) -- well I just turned seventeen (sweetly sad).

For loving me so truly, and teaching me that love is not an emotion but an act of the will (I see you choosing to love each other every day).

For shaping me into whatever I am today (though God, frenz, school, myself and some other entities have played a big role in this too).

For chapaing me, teaching me, strengthening me, and even playing with me.

For being the sort of parents I can hug and kiss and play with and love on without fear, regrets or doubt.

For laughing at my "dey'spozedas", giving me money to buy clothes you think are WEIRD (in capital letters).

For giggling your hearts out when you found me on my PS2 at 3:55am then sterning up and saying, "nenda kalale we mtoto!"

For helping me see my strengths and discard my weaknesses.

For beleiving in God even when we don't have anything to our name then seeing God give us all we need. (That IS faith!!)

For practicing what you preach.

For giving me your iPod when mine got lost!!

For writing desperate emails every once in a while: "I am writing to know if my Princely got safely to school. Or did he die on the way??" (haha)

For all the tears we've shared, and all you've shed (most were from me).

For the fights and the reconciliations.

For teaching me to take the bitter pill when I know it's the right thing to do.

For caressing my sweet tooth.

For...

doing...

all...

this...

for...

SEVENTEEN...

years...

now!!!

Isn't that a BLESSING!!?? (Note: the "that"refers to me! - haha)

Now, jealous folk are wondering why these two peeps get a whole book of thanks. These folk knew me before I even knew myself.
--Once upon a time, a guy with a tail met this other one, and then... (you know the rest of the story)--

God bless you!!

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The next few poems are part of The Seventeen Series, this is a collection of poems, writings and pieces given to me on Novemeber 13th: Princely Day!

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Read, Comment, Enjoy!!

Back to Black (unplugged edition)

This is one of my old ones, written>> August:

Sue: Now you're making me turn red!!
Me: Okay - get back to black!
Sue: What do you mean "get back to black!"?
Me: Wait and see!
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Above is the dialogue that gave birth to this poem!!

A friend comments on a guy we like
then all heaven is loose:
We turn red...
Red with love
Red with passion
Red with blood...
We feel our faces heating up
and our cheeks becoming hot wet paint -
Red paint!!

(Nobody else sees it though
for our beautiful skin -
colored like the soil - hides all
the redness!)

At times we struggle:
Every step we take seems to take us
either closer, or farther,
to, or from, the one we love
We fight a battle every centimetre -
every inch's a strife!

Our days are spent in blissful thinking
and hopeful wishing...
Every second's a desire that the one
we love may notice us
...and love us back!

Our dreams are wasted happily
Our time is lost in joy
We throw our thoughts away, with smiles
...all day we think of "us"

We imagine "us"
We wish "us"
We dream "us"
We love "us"
...and pray for "us"

We feel like running to this human being
Running to embrace them, hold on to them,
and just love on them.
Our bodies become kettles
and our blood is heated up -
It playingly runs around our veins
...mastering a childish grace

(All that just because our eyes met theirs!)

But...
we choose not to start the fire
...not to get burnt to ashes
by this ever-blazing flame
We choose not to awaken love
...not to arouse this beautiful beast
until it so desires

We cool our emotions down
telling them to wait:
"for my time has not yet come"

One day we'll share this truth

One day we'll be free to fly on
the red wings of love
seated on the red coach of hearts
with our prince or our princess
beneath an Afrikan sunrise:
Red clouds, orange sky,
and golden twinkles in our eyes:

A beautiful day comes to an end
and another one begins!!

But today...
...we move from red to black:
Back To Black!!

Afrika, The Baobab!

Afrika - like a baobab - big and strong:
Outwardly withering away
Inwardly refreshed and renewed -
day by day...
The scorching heat of the unending sun -
The crazy storms of life -
The poverty in greenness - drought all around;
But Afrika, the Baobab, never dies!
Filled with enough water to last all droughts...
...with a beauty uniquely your own...
...lone...misunderstood...underappreciated;
yet alive and strong!
An unspoilt virgin: Afrika, the beautiful!
Now, as the sun sets behind you
A beautiful silhouette of dry twigs - stretched out -
like a maze of a million lifted hands is all that's left!
The dark has come. All is gone.
But the strength in you remains - my Afrika!
The heat! Storms! Droughts!
You remain beautifully you: My Afrika!

Beauty - it's what's inside!!!

Choirmaster of The Drones

With your low humming voice – sweet
and mellow – persistent and clear –
you would make a dreadfully great
choirmaster!
…and choreographer too!!

Dancing in widening circles – projecting
your voice higher with every turn – odiously
you invite two more yous – and they join –
humming harmoniously to your wordless song!

The good thing is that no matter how loudly
you sing – with voice so strident and deafening –
I remain undisturbed by your tiny presence –
(except the noise made by the flap of your wings)

…we could even use you in Sing Afrika!

Rusting Staple Pin

(picked between the cracks of the pavement leading to our college library)

If only I knew the story behind
this rusting piece of metal
abandoned – thrown – into the cracks
of this olden pavement
Maybe…
tears would roll down my cheek to the ground
Or maybe…
I would jump up and down, laughing hysterically
Or maybe…
I would shine with enlightenment
Or maybe…
nostalgia would hit me – and I’d envision a long lost friend
But maybe I’d throw it down and wish I never knew the story –
or picked it up in the first place!

[haha – stuck in the futility of wishing things would be different! “Different” isn’t necessarily synonymous to “better” – but why want anyways]