The Listener’s Dilemma.

( Photo credit: George Popa)

”I stayed true to my first love,” Hannah’s soft voice droned on and I was held spellbound by the simple life she’d lived. A life of dedication in the face of outright betrayal.

”I fell in love the first time I saw Michael,” and her face soften at the memory with traces of a smile lurking at the corner of her mouth, ”my dad worked for the KGB then, he’s now retired, he was absolutely furious when he knew I was dating ”an alien.”

My eyebrows shot up at the ‘alien bit’ and she laughed when she saw the expression on my face.

”A nonRussian is an alien to my dad,” she explained and continued, ”when it was obvious our relationship would face outright persecutions, we fled Russian and came to London, got married and life was good. It was rosy for the first five years and then the late nights began, I tried to question his erratic behaviors but the back of his hands was my reply.

I was on the edge of my seat and Hannah’s voice was becoming strained but I said nothing still, just listened.

”The trips to Ghana was a surprise at first, and then when it continued I became worried. Money was not our problem, I would have lived in Ghana if he wanted me to but he said no. Ten years later, still no kids and we were still married. You can imagine my frustration and failure that I couldn’t give my husband what he wanted. I left everything for him, my family, my friends… everything!

There was silence, it was as if she was reliving the horror of it all. I said nothing still.

”One of his friends came to our house one summer evening, as usual, he’d travelled, and he told me Michael was celebrating his tenth year wedding anniversary, he brought the family pictures as proof and my world fell flat. Michael had five children for his other wife, he’d built his family a beautiful house in Accra! When he came back, he had the gut to call me a barren woman.”

”Where is he now?” I finally found my voice.

”He’s gone to the office and you know what?”

”What?”

”I’m pregnant, at long last… and the beatings has stopped.”

”Have you forgiven him?”

”No, but I still love him which was why I wondered at the true meaning of love. I can’t leave him…I’m forty-five years old and I’m pregnant with my first child.”

”What about his other family? That’s bigamy! Are you okay with that too?”

”We don’t discuss it.”

”Do you think about it?”

She nodded and that was it, we heard the sound of a car pulling up at the drive way, that was my cue. I stood up and Hannah gave me a bear hug then asked, ”If you were in my shoes, what would you have done?”

I couldn’t answer her question. I left her house dumbfounded and sad at the same time, no wonder the poor woman thought love was non-existent!

**********

That was the concluding part of ‘The Listeners,’ I hope you like it!

Thanks for reading my post, love always:)

The Listeners…

Jan22

Hannah (Photo credit: Steve Wyper)

”Love has been misused several times, it’s kind of meaningless.” Hannah said, a wistful look in her blue eyes, she looked so sad and I wanted to hug her. But I know there are times you just listen and not say a word. Just been there was all Hannah needed at that time and I listened with rapt attention.

My heart broke into a million fragments by her tale, I felt the alien feeling of fear gripped my soul, how could she have kept quiet for so long, how did she manage to keep her sanity?

”I love him,” she was saying and a lump rose up in my throat, I wanted to cry and then like a rainbow on a grey sky she dropped the bombshell!

Who is Hannah? What is her story? Why does she hate the word love?

Stay tuned dear friends, I’ll be back… or better still, can anyone tell me the story of Hannah? Can you dig deep and find the right words?

I’ll be waiting dear friends!

Much love, always:)

A Farce Called Honour!

Jan18

(Photo credit: Andréa Krappweis)

Your only crime was to fall in love.

And that was all there was to it.

What a farce called honour!

When your heart beat wildly with fear,

And you sleep with one eye open,

Then you have a lot to fear!

When the icy glares of your parents and relatives

Sends a chill to your bone and a sword to your heart

Then you’re in big trouble!

When you run wildly through the moors

With the angry face of your father behind you

The snarling breath of your brother on your face,

Be very afraid indeed.

When all you can see, is the bag on your head.

As the man who brought you to the world scream,

‘Rot in hell,’ The heavens shudder!

When you hovered over their heads,

As your lifeless body was hidden from view.

What utter betrayal!

Your only crime was falling in love…

Just another incomprehensible statistics on the

culture of evil perpetuated by hatred.

And a farce called honour!

A class system where the love of a mother ran

cold against the daughter of her breast.

Thanks for reading my poetic thoughts on parents from hell…

A Woman’s Sphere…

Jan16

”They talk about a woman’s sphere as

though it had a limit;

There’s not a place in earth or heaven,

There’s not a task to mankind given,

There’s not a blessing or woe,

There’s not a whispered ”yes” or ”no,”

There’s not a life, or death, or birth,

That has a feather’s weight of worth

without a woman in it.”

Kate Field, Poet. (1838-1896)

I love this poem and I thought, why not share it and affirm to those words that I’m proud to be a woman (and a man too if you’re reading this), I’m proud of the fact that I can effect a change in a world filled with corruption and darkness, a world where demons walk in broad daylight and evil is extol with relish. I’m proud that when I effect a change in my world (family) I’m translating and infusing life and love into people of all ages. I’m proud to be a woman who chose to love people irrespective of who they are!

Are you proud of who you are?

Thanks for reading my post:)

”I Will Help You”

Jan2

(Photo credit: Swas Van)

Life can throw some punches at you that you least expect and believe me friends, when it does, don’t be too afraid to ask for help.

”No man is an island,” my husband used to say and those words are true!
I had no intention of posting today because I’m neck-deep in several projects and while I was using my mental analytics to plan my next course of actions somebody suddenly walked up to me and said those magical words,

”I will help you!”

You see, this is someone I admire and love greatly and I know He can do more than what I’d asked Him to do but when He said those words, it was as if a very heavy load was lifted off my shoulders, I have someone to share my life with, my hopes, my dreams and yes, my writings!

So friends, if you’re at your wits’ end, don’t be afraid or too proud to ask for help, it might make a great difference to how this year turn out for you!

That’s all my friends!

Love always:)

The Feet Of Hope!

Jan1

The solar wind blew but we are safe, despite the predictions, the earth stood still

We are alive and well. The year will bring good tidings of love and hope!

The sun, the moon, the stars and all other planets danced with the earth.

Another year, hope reborn, desires rekindles.

To all my friends and people unknown, I wish you Joy, Peace, and

May all your dreams come true.

With love from me to you!

Happy New Year!!!

Lingering Shadows

Dec2

Too Many Shadows (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is the words of a song I heard today which made a big impression on me,

”Though The Shadows Lingers All Around Us,

Let us Turn Our Faces To The Light”

Shadows will forever be part of us as humans, I have never seen a man born of a woman who has no shadow but this could also be used metaphorically.

What kind of shadows kept lingering or trailing behind us? These shadows could cut our lives short and make us miserable, like the shadows of deceit, of anger, of adultery, of lies or lying, shadows of un forgiveness? Shadows of fear, of death, of failure…

The list is endless but my like my husband used to say,

”You are the only person who can make yourself happy,”

And I think he is right, I don’t think our happiness should be based on the approval of others or their behavior towards us, rather, I opined that we should discard every lingering shadow which could draw us deeper in the quagmire of sorrow by liking ourselves for who we are.

So friends, let’s enjoy ourselves by turning our faces to the light of love, hope, forgiveness and friendship.

I am not writing this because of Christmas, rather, I am writing this post to encourage us to LIVE and actually enjoy our lives, life is too short…

Thanks for reading my post friends!

To Save A Life

Nov8

Leo Frigo Bridge (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I was glued to the television yesterday while I watched an unbelievable live footage of a woman called Tina Zahn who was in the throes of committing suicide due to post natal depression.

She had sped to the top of Leo Frigo Memorial Bridge in Green Bay, Wisconsin, United States, got out of her car then walked briskly to the edge of the bridge and jumped.

I couldn’t tear myself away while I watched opened mouth as the implausible footage was shown and miraculously, this woman was saved by a brave state trooper, Les Boldt and his colleagues.

As a mother, I know the stress involved in taking care of children especially if one is a working mother, I am not an expert on post natal depression but I do know it’s a feeling of utter hopelessness compounded by being responsible for a baby who is wholly and completely dependent on you.

I cannot begin to fathom the desperation involved before a person will want to take his or her own life and it saddens me greatly. But I do know this, love can halt this evil, malicious monster.

I know depression must be this total feeling of being engulfed in the prison of complete darkness with no possibility of a parole or been trapped and unable to reach out for help, this story ended in a miracle but sadly some don’t.

I do know that we have a duty to save a life, like that state trooper, we can be more friendly, loving and kinder to people. You never know, you might be the miracle somebody somewhere needs right now! Maybe a little whisper, maybe a smile or even a nod could send love signal to a dying soul.

I have this infinite belief that this world is full of loving people and like my husband would say,

”See the doughnut, not the empty hole.”

Just a little love and a listening ear could banish that demon of hopelessness.

Let us save a life today…

Will you?

Be The Change!

Nov6

English: Black Patent Leather Fetish Shoes 1973 – 1977 These shoes have a 7-inch stiletto heel and are a size 11 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Twenty years ago, (I was seventeen then) I was a young slim girl with long hair, skinny legs and a very big smile, I could give you anything but don’t you dare go near my shoes! And I had a lot of sisters (four to be precise) who all loved my shoes.

One weekend I came home( I just got an admission to the university then) and one of them took my shoes, the best out of about twenty pairs!

Everyone in my family knew about my addiction to this particular pair and Christy, my sister wore it to a party, even though it wasn’t her size. When I told my mom what my sister did, she’d looked at me in a very strange way. I had thought she would come to my defence and tongue lashed my sister for the invasion of my ‘privacy’, the unlawful use of my personal stuff without my say-so but nah! She did no such thing.

I knew my mom did not condone what my sister did but she had a lot to say about my reaction to it, and when I mean a lot, it could be a phrase or word loaded with meaning. Before she spoke, she closed her eyes briefly and when she opened them, there was a twinkle in her brown expressive eyes,

”Be the change in the world and you can sleep with both eyes closed.” She said simply. I didn’t understand what she meant by that statement and wasn’t ready to listen.

”But mom,” I had protested against the obvious injustice of the situation, not the lesson she wanted me to learn, ”I don’t want to change the world, just speak to Christy to stop sneaking behind my back using my things, just tell her to steer clear of my room!”

And I’d stomped out of the house, exasperated with my mom’s unrelenting idiomatic expressions, deep down I thought she was turning me into a villain for protesting but my mom is an incredibly wise woman, she knew in order for me to live in peace with my sisters and brothers, (and now my husband) I should sometimes put myself under the spotlight and see if I am the problem.

Am I been irrational, irritable, unforgiving, selfish, careless and stubborn? Well, the lists can go on and on but as I grew older and had my own family, I finally understood what she was trying to do.

My mom was training me to be a better person, not a fool that could be trampled upon but a disciplined, principled woman who would treat others the way she wanted to be treated. A woman who would respect, love, forgive and appreciate and treat everyone equally, irrespective of their race, religion or sexuality.

If every human being desires to be the change, the world would indeed be a better place. And it’s never too late, take a look at the man, woman, girl, boy in the mirror today and say to him or her ( I am speaking to you, if you’re still reading this post)

”Be the change…”

Less Of A Monster!

Jul31

A View of Earth from Saturn (Photo credit: alpoma)

Of recent, I have watched different programmes about the end of the world. And it really got me thinking of what really matters, not the bills which sneaked stealthily through my door this morning, nor my recalcitrant agent or my elusive publishers. None of this weighty issues bothered me this morning when I woke up but just this composite thought. Our beautiful earth is groaning under the weight of incessant wars, uncontrollable population and sheer wickedness and cruelty directed towards all living things. The degree and level with which these atrocious acts have been repeatedly committed is alarming. And I thought, will the world truly come to an end?

Yes, there will be an end, but no one can really predict the exact time and moment. And you would think that sometimes we should just pause and reappraised our lives, but do we do that? Don’t know about you but I sure do once in a while, like now as I am writing this piece.

And I ask myself soliloquizing, are we living in a cocoon? Isolated from the real world or actually living in ‘a world village’ whereby we can integrate and live with anyone from any race, tribe or ideologies. Where there is nothing like been politically correct, where there is no cast system, where the smoky bridge between the rich and the poor are irrevocably extinguished.

But It was not so in the beginning. God created all things beautiful and then the devil came and mess it up right? Wrong! Humans did the messing up bit, we lost the plot big time. But how do we rectify it all, simple! By becoming less of a monster!!

But if the world will really come to an end then what is the essence of life itself? This is a question I often ask myself; why the race to be rich at all cost and at the same time why would you want to be a pauper? If the world should implode today due to our destructive natures and selfishness, what would have been the reason for it all in the first place?

Why was the earth created by God? Why create humans and allow them to build weapons of mass destruction to annihilate each other? Now, these are questions I can’t comfortably answer but I do know that God gave us free will, it’s up to you what you make of it!

And to all my questions above, I believe the essence of life is love. It’s as simple as that and I truly believe God created the world out of His love for humanity and all the richness of the earth for us to enjoy.

Maybe time is running out but we can still make an impact. Whether the world ends when I finish writing this post or in five billion years. We can make a change. A random acts of kindness will make us less of a monster.

Thanks for reading my post!