From thoughts into words

Who would have thought, 30 years ago, That we would be here today? Nostalgia… The words of Tabu Ley, Franco, drifting into the garden From the LP prayer, Carrying with them Memories of a time When we were us, Conscious and comfortable in our skins. Who would have thought We would remember those times as good times? It was a time before Mayi Mayi and UKIMWI, Janjaweed and Mungiki. I can’t lie. It was also a time of ashes and blood. But the hope that the phoenix would rise Gave us hope. We didn’t know this then. We had no sense of what the future would bring. We had no idea that we’d forever be turning back, Looking on past horizons with longing. We lived in the present then. Now we live in the past, While tentatively dipping our toes into the future, Testing it out, Hoping that it won’t burn. The present is too heavy to experience. So we save it up, Burn it onto DVDs and print it out on bleached paper. We will return 20 years hence with wisd...

Does nothing make sense anymore? You take a step to the right, Hoping that this time you’ll finally emerge From the maze. But nothing doing. You end up in the same spot You started from yesterday. You wonder, is that the forked path I took before? Did I branch off to the right or the left? Then you realize it doesn’t matter. You tried both paths before, And both led you back to the same spot. Are you destined to walk round and round in circles, Viewing the same limited horizons, Yoked to the same relentless destiny? Is there a way out of the maze Or is the perception that a maze exists The biggest illusion yet? Is that an ironic smile on your face? Are you defeated? Is that emptiness in your soul? Is there really a point to any of this? When will you finally know that your heart has toiled and labored so For no reason at all? Will they ring a bell to tell you that it is all in vain? Or is this it? Is this sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach the only notice you will get? Th...