So I glimpsed a wayward soul Hot and cold it summoned me A promise that we’d be whole We sought love’s rising tides We hoped to weather its storms
But the Lovers’ creed was cruel An adventure riddled with risk Where tides rose to fill our gaping needs Only to leave them wider
In the eye of storm where soulmates dwell and lone hearts roam I am surrounded by bittersweet pain For even love must have balance Must have an anti-love
So I glimpse that wayward soul from a distance For its beauty For its promise For its resilience And I know that once more I will hearken to love’s call Resigned to what awaits me…
When light falls from heaven The finest rays linger in the deep And wonders bloom beneath the surface
If you weren’t so smitten by stars If you only looked a little closer A little longer A little deeper Then maybe you’d learn- to go beyond consuming beauty To nurturing it
So build a bridge below as well Through the depths where secrets dwell And souls truly meet Make a channel of glass That you may voyage in substance That you may see with open perspective That you may find the quintessence of beauty For when light falls from heaven It rests in wonders beneath the surface
Hey there Reader, I hope all is well with you. If not, may you find some compassion and consolation here.
The load, struggles, and sacrifices aren’t getting any lighter for me as we enter the festive season. I can’t recall dreading an end of year like this one. But neither can I remember accomplishing in a single year, what I have done in 2022. December is key for me to take 2023 in stride, so there’s no room to slacken. Such a shame because I’m usually a serial gypsy soul during the December holidays. Alas…
What I’m truly dreading, are Semester finals, commencing on the 2nd of January. The university has run us ragged. Three Semesters in one year! Barely a week’s holiday between them. Good news is I’ve passed all the exams so far; some highly, others with ‘meh’ marks.
I don’t want to rumble on about classes so I think this is the perfect time for a poetry interlude:
Beneath the cherryblossoms of Okinawa
I wiffed a renegade scent
and named it Sakura
In the waterfalls of Benin
I espied a moonlit orchid
that baptised me Kota
Through the Appalachian vale
A whisper rode soft Chinook windsI sought you
and the reincarnation
Of our forever
DL Finn, an amazing author, reviewed my book last month and it was really positive. She loved the story in the Realms of the Mist. In case you’re still on the fence about getting it, you can read her full review HERE
Naturally, tuition fees have taken their toll and had a huge impact on my lifestyle this year, to the point of struggling for some basics (but we have to make sacrifices, right?).
So much for being the cool, booky, rugby-playing writer who all the guys invited, and girls showed up for. I’ve almost completely abandoned the social scene this year, and I’ve even had to hang up my rugby boots.
Sometimes I like to think they all miss me but I’ve lived long enough to know that the world moves on quickly without you. Good thing is that I’m moving too, and I still have my lifelong bestpals (we always check in on each other).
Okay, another poetry break? Don’t answer that. Ofcourse.
Sharing pain oozed special pleasure
For joy belonged to everyone
But despair was my own
My precious
Yet her eyes mirrored iridescent sorrows
My misery wallowed in their depths
My will capitulated in her embrace
I was caressed into love's voracious maw
Consumed
Hers forever.
You can read her review, and watch the interview HERE. I was nervous but enjoyed the experience.
Much as I’m missing out on the ‘fun’ side of life, I don’t have any regrets. At the beginning of this year I committed to a two-year self improvement kickstart. I knew all this would happen, though the post-pandemic inflation coupled with heightened academic expenditures has crippled my finances to dier lows. Frankly, I’ve been forced into becoming a social recluse. But the fire inside me is burning brighter than ever. My soul has dwelt in the darkness And I do not fear it I take my flame in hand Seek my forlorn despair Give it warmth And light the way to our dreams.
I was going to sneak in some extra poetry but I just did that, right? WRONG. I’ll assume everyone is calling for ‘one more’. A guy can dream, right?
I wrap my decadent soul in loneliness And venture into the sullen Goodbye oh whithering sun The cords of dark existence have me My hope decays into delusion Each step is wrong Each word amiss Awaiting night Lunamovas Wishing I was anywhere but here
In this moment I’m finding it hard but I hold on to all the good things I ought to be thankful for, and that gets me through quite a bit. The poetry in italics is from my twitter, where I write these and more short pieces during brief breaks. I miss reading and writing more wholesome work on wordpress, but I’ll have to do so in small bits. Bare with me for now.
Shalom Namasate Namarie
I welcome you to share some of your happy moments, as well as the difficult ones that you’ve experienced recently in the comments.