Palin Pause, Pose and Listen to Nyong'o

Prof Anyang' Nyong'o wrote in yesterday Sunday Standard that Sarah Palin's new book portends ill for America and the world.

In America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith and Flag, Palin, argues Nyong'o, re-ignites rascist tendencies.

The good Prof faults Palin for having issues with Michelle Obama's assertion that after campaigning for her husband, "for the first time in her adult lifetime she was really proud of her country."

Nyong'o reminds Palin of the America of the sixties and seventies. He however is skeptical and wonders whether Palin with "her common garden philosophy and ruther rustic junior school civics, ...remember who Dr Martin Luther King Jr was and how he relates to what Michelle says today".

My knowledge of African American literature stirs in my misty soul the painful experiences of Blacks right from the days of slavery.

Palin can have free lessons from me as to the nature of slavery, how it was sustained and what the Blacks thought and think of it.

Back to Nyong'o. For him, Palin's 'philosophies' smacks of "the spectre of the pure but violated Aryan race".

He warns that "when mediocrity climbs the ladder of power, and pretends to dine with philosophers like Plato, then we should know that Armageddon is beckoning to prey on our worst fears and to unleash some of the most intolerant ideas into the lexicon of governance in the world's most powerful nation. It will come in the guise of patriotism, exceptionalism or some form of populism not yet known to humankind".

Lets hope she has heard. And somebody needs to tell that to these Kenyan tribal chiefs!

The Four Noble Truths: A Budhist Insight into Life

A few experiences in my life and that of others, some recent and others old, move me towards sharing this with you.

With your tacit indulgence, let me take you briefly through four truths of life as understood by Budhists.

First, life is suffering. Nothing new there, I guess. Pain and agony characterise life.

Second, suffering is due to attachment. Imperfection and impermanence is the juice of our reality. Clinging to things of this world, which can never last nor be perfect, is the best recipe to hurting.

Third, suffering can be overcome. Sigh of relief. Choose not to be attached and choose not to suffer.

Fourth, there is away of doing this (three above). Follow the eightfold path. Google!

Examine your life. Find out whether at the root of your suffering, lies attachment to fleeting things and experiences. Now, what about a paradigm shift?

Writing good poetry

Over time, my experience in writing poetry has made me aware of the difficulties poets, especially beginners, face before writing anything.

One of the major challenges we face is lacking modesty of admitting that our work is mediocre, requiring a lot of reworking.

In lieu of admitting that the poem we are so passionate about is poorly done and therefore needs to be re-written, we spend so much time brooding. And that is our folly.

A realization that writing is a continuous process of re-writing is the only way towards perfection. We cannot be good at what we do if we do not take seriously what others thinks of our work.

And that reminds me of my own experience. On several occasions, I have been told to find a subject for my poetry, be in control of it and 'refrigerate' it until such a time that I can return to it with an objective mind.

Its through following the above that I have been able to make an amazing improvement in my art, from mediocrity to something publishable. And I am still learning, still perfecting.

Another thing that has led to the improvement has been my membership to a writers club. The ideas of the critical readers have been of great help.

To write well, one needs more than talent. You need skill, patience and a passionate but sober attitude in your art. Reading others also helps to shape you. The exposure to several styles and concerns is of great help too.

Good poets know that they have no excuse of doing something bad when the good is within their reach. Read, write, share and listen.

Notes on CV writing

I have realised that a majority of the people looking for jobs have poorly done CV's.

The common mistakes include bad English (spelling and syntax), poor layout, cheap ugly papers, unnecessary details e.t.c.

One of the sure way to the dust bin for your CV is for it to be guilty of the above charges. In addition, those of us with lengthy CV's should leave out the litter. Keep your CV short. No one wants to read ten pages of what you did twenty years ago.

Your CV is your marketing tool. Sell yourself well.

Darkness (30/10/10)

Darkness,
what mystery do you hold?
Your magic makes known
what before was hidden
Like good alcohol
you lay bare all hearts
Thieves, harlots, rapists_
the scum of society_
get their acts better
when covered generously by you
But not them alone.
Leaders, whatever you
conceive them to be
live their true selves
in your tight embrace.

Under the shy moon (22/10/10)

Outside, under the shy moon
hidden by a translucent cloud,
the winds blow not. The trees
like good sentries stand still
and guard the omnious night.

The naive moon light only
magnifies the darkness, our
footsteps compound the silence
and the echoes of the cry of the
distant owl mocks this tense night

This night is fractured, crickets
chirp a crooked dirge, and the
stagnant air embraces the song
with all its long gone life.
Death smiles from everything.

Dawn drags itself but what
does it hold in its clenched fist?
When the sun chases this coy moon
what mystery would then unfold?
I stagger, alone, broken-hearted.

You are your enemy!

Brother, what is the point
of these periodic sobs of yours?
Are you not the slave who sees
another buried shallowly and laughs?
Aren't you the rat, dumb with haste, who
fails to see the one ahead drop into a hole?
When a man digs a hole to trap others,
he's to blame if he becomes his own victim.
When a farmer disturbs bees during day,
he should curse his god for his foolishness.
Remember you were warned against them,
but big people seem to have their way with you.

Pluck me (5.10.10)

I'm that yellow fruit
ripe, full of life,
the perfection beyond you,
the fullness you constantly desire,
but fail to attain.

I'm that star up above
shining on your darkness
I'm the light you detest,
the truth you so much hate.

I'm that gentle flowing stream
pure, divine, serene.
You can only but dream
to relax, nourish, as I do.

I'm that dark green leaf,
fat with life, calm
with nature. My presence
magnifies your inadequacy.

I'm that rose flower
early in the morning
a dew resting on my petal.
I'm at home with myself.

Pluck me, for I'm more
than these. I am
what you're against, but
secretly yearn to be.

It is finished (1/10/10)

After the test
she mumbled:
"It is finished!"

My heart fell
and twitched
in the acids below.

Memory brought
the heat and fierceness
that melted the rubber.

Gloomy eyes grew grey
and the day begun
to mock me for what I had done.

In the mirror myself
in the eye
I could not look.

Past pleasures perished
and was born
untold bitterness

that chokes me
like rust in a water pipe.
Now, the unborn

will severely pay
for our sin.
What a fate!

I'm not afraid ( for Honesty Oimbo )

no,
i'm not afraid.
another's hangover
of a powerful past
scares me not.
its just that
i'm still laughing-
at those searching
for socrates in dictionaries.
infantile dreams
of lateblooming
se seko's and amin's
tickles me.

Do we what with a people like this?

You'll see them strut about
in confusion, heads full of clout
They'll stagger without hope
not knowing how to cope

In this darkness they grope
making stage their preferred stop
Their, sorrounded by bottles brown
our tomorrow they fervently drown

With the dew they troop back
a battalion that has killed its luck
Songs stagger from their mouths
reclaiming perceived noble births

Do we what with a people like these
followed everywhere by hungry fleece
Mercy? I hear you say no please
just let them savour the illusive peace!

Hos and Holes (12/06/10)

Ho ho ho hos!
Ho ho ho holes!
Bottoms sexily sway
to a rythm Jamaican
to pass poverty away