When you’re a rookie,Aiming for a project that’s the‘Best in the class’Is probably not the best goal to have.To focus on processRather than the praise you’re hoping to getIs a more reliable north star.And if you must procrastinateDo so productively,Let your mind never stop gathering dataEven if you’re far from your books,And be sure to […]
Read more "On doing research"The mind has this pernicious tendencyTo pour cement around our weakest momentsIn an attempt to immortalize themAs if to lay the foundation of a monumentTo who we will always beAs though it were our greatest benefitTo be anchored to our lowest points in this life,Forever bound to our mistakes.Or maybe the wet cement is hurledAt […]
Read more "Pouring cement"Good intentions go awry regularly,Offence is never far,Fear is always close,Misunderstanding to be expected.We love diversityUntil it tampers with our sacred cows,Superficial strides toward unityAre the easiest to make,We laugh at the truthAnd cry at perceived hurts,Routinely undervaluing our treasuresAnd overestimating our shortcomings.Its a lot to be human.Deep breaths are necessary,Apologies need not be scarce,Laughter […]
Read more "Welcome to humans"Dylan was right.Reality has always been fragile,Just a matter of timeUntil what we love in this worldBecomes memories of once wasAnd in just a little whileWhat we hoped for in the distanceAnd dreaded from afarWill be right upon us.Love deeplyLive intentionallyLet your eye linger on the beauty of the earth,Let your mind be grapple with […]
Read more "The times they are a-changin’"Not everything is better When it is privatised. Market forces aren’t pure hands Moulding our society. ‘Securing the bag’ isn’t An infallible top priority. Business culture has morphed our cities Into highly individualised spaces Where almost anything can be sacrificed For the sake of a bottom line. The attainment of cash Has become the golden […]
Read more "The tyranny of business"Is what He has promised.Not that the darkness will not comeNor that we will not feel itNor that we will alwaysSee ourselves as separate from it,But that on that dayHe will be there-Enormous, ferocious powerGentled just to be with us in our distress.For the darknessIs not a sign of the absenceOf God’s goodness,Or His failure […]
Read more "A Hand to hold on earth’s darkest day"Doesn’t mean condoning their folly Or overlooking the pain that they cause, But it does involve being curious About where they are coming from And bringing an ear to hear Not just their words but their heart. It is a fools errand To try and change another person, So rather than assuming victimhood And reacting […]
Read more "Understanding others"Having every thought and idea Neatly lined up in marching formation, Chronologically arranged Ready to tumble onto the page – Is not a pre-requisite For good writing. The pen is a sword Capable of slicing through confusion, Splitting open hidden insights And chopping off sentiments That don’t add to the narrative. Writing does not empty […]
Read more "Writing for clarity"How good must your fortunes beBefore you choose generosity?How much reassuranceBefore you behave like you belong?How much good will you overlookBefore you accept that ‘better is possible’?There’s nothing quite as difficultAs winning your own heart overAfter it gets jaded enough,Even when there is sufficient evidenceTo support a better narrative-Once you are convincedYou live in a […]
Read more "How good?"Have been in high demandFor centuries.Hands that build empires for othersFists to fight the wars of othersPalms outstretched to the goodwill of othersFingers to grasp the fruits of the trees of others.We know well what Africans can doWith their hands,Indeed they have held many a society together.But what of African heads?What of the thought leadership […]
Read more "African hands"
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