Alone

Alone, I sit alone,
Where the sound is still
And the air is chill
The voices in my head
Echo my thoughts against my will.

Alone, away from the crowd
And the clamor of the town
Where their eyes can’t see
And hate can’t reach
I’m one with me, at peace within

Alone is where I’ve been,
Left on my own
Chirping birds flown, mighty winds blown
But like a single seed sown
A huge tree I’ve grown

Alone, in the thick of the night
Is where I go to dream
within the sheets, down the streets
A gentle voice strokes my heart
But it feels like I am not alone

I guess I changed...

I remember the days when mother would say to me “you need to loosen up and stop looking so serious all the time” O geez! What happened to me? These days I can barely keep a stern face for a minute without letting forth a smile…I guess I changed.

I was once a child and acted accordingly like one. But now, now, my oh my, am I a grown man! I remember the days when it was all about hanging with the boys, and the thought of rocking the chicks all night at the club kept my adrenalin at an all high. But today, this Friday night, my friend is having a party opening his bar and I’m not even sure I want to go. Somehow, all of a sudden, late nights and booze don’t seem to be my thing…I guess I changed.

Don’t get me wrong, I still like it when it rains, when we drive for long in the rain listening to the sounds of our coolest songs from the stereo. I still like my breakfast of bread and eggs, the thrill of interesting movies, and the chilling and being togetherness that I think are medicine for melancholy. But like my cousin said, people change and forget to tell each other. And I thought to myself, how true. But only if they would post a mail or leave a voice message…So I hope that you get to read this, just so it doesn’t take you by surprise…And if we ever met again you wouldn’t be too shocked to see that I changed.

A civilized society..."Love" our Universal Language

I look back in history and I see many conflicts and wars that began as a result of ethnic, racial, or cultural misunderstandings. In my culture a hand to the shoulder is a gesture of friendliness, whereas in yours it means a sign of disrespect. But I was never taught this, and so I did not know. Instead, the best way you could teach me was a blow to my head. This is a typical example of how conflicts are born. And over the years, the hate is passed from generation to generation, hoping that someday the hatred will disperse as we attain a civilized society.

It is sad to say, however, that even with all of our civilization a lot of us today are still so mentally enslaved by the demons of our bitter history. Which in my opinion makes living in the world today a lot more complex than it used to be. Because now you not only have to think for yourself, but you have to be sensitive to your audience's thought processes, their moods, and state of mind. Now, you just cannot say how you feel and what you think even when you have not the slightest disrespect at heart, but you say what you think your audience needs to hear all that peace may abound. Just like a child would speak to a parent, a Caucasian to a Negro, a yoruba lady to an ibo man, or some preachers to their congregation (lol). Perhaps this is what is meant by a civilized society…If you asked me, I still wouldn’t know.

But this leads me back to a question that has always been lurking in my mind. Is there something as simple as a universal truth? Is there a form of truth that transcends culture, religion or race? If yes, are we as humans prone to accept this truth, to understand it in all of its form, speak it as one language, and embrace it as one culture? If you asked me again, I just may have a word this time.

One word that stays on my mind is Love. To me, love is the truth that transcends through cultures,that swims the deepest of oceans, travels across distant lands to penetrate through the most rocky mountains. Love is our universal language,in the many dialects and accents in which it presents like listening, waiting, giving, asking, forgiving, patience, empathy, selflessness and in all of the other forms in which it may come. Love might be the solution to our problems. Perhaps it is this love that may lead us into that civilized society where all of the hatred will eventually be dispersed into oblivion. But this may only be, If only we would choose to love a little more.

lately...

Lately I’ve been thinking
The pleasant thoughts of distant places
Mud huts and crowded spaces
The warmth of familiar smiling faces
Welcoming the traces of a pilgrim’s path.

Lately I’ve been thinking
Of being so close yet so far
A little too soon,
Like the moon at noon
The feeble glow of a waning star.

Lately I’ve been thinking
Of what you might be thinking
If you think the thoughts that I’m thinking
Like walking on sinking sands
Kissing and holding hands.

Lately I’ve been thinking
But soon my thoughts disappear
And somehow I lack the words to share
The things that I fear
You’re thinking why I’m lost in a silent stare.

Conversation between U^S (2)

S:
i like to be with people and feed people and entertain people
i guess my gift is hospitality or something

U:
I haven’t met another person who is this passionate about people
except maybe Jesus

i don’t mean it in a bad way
i admire it
but i imagine you must feel worn out sometimes
or torn between
cause it can be hard to share your love among everyone


S:
Yeah but i don’t really ya kno?
i have a few ppl... i dont really get close with a lot of ppl
like take fb for example, most ppl have hundreds of friends, i have less than a hundred bc i like a few close rather than a ton casual
and yes i do get really close to people
i think the hardest part is trying so hard and not having it returned
thats what wears me out most
being with friends energizes me, makes me feel most alive and happy
being cut off depletes my energy

U:
i know
i kinda used to be there
still often find myself there on and again
but these days i think i strive to find strength from within
regardless of who's here or there
because its never a guarantee that you'd find someone to draw strength
from
its like most people know how to take but not to give
and yes, it’s okay to give..
but like you say, being human sometimes you do want too
you look around and there’s no one to provide

but then, I’ve found a few times that i could recharge by drawing from the bricks
the walls like i said earlier
and the thought of Jesus
that’s cool too
the whole concept...if you believe
like He’s the one who will be there when no one else will be
the one who surpasses us in our human compassion
so there are days when you are full of life...and you are so supercharged that you can give
and give
and give
then there are days you’re so depleted
and totally worn out...

but still, i find it funny that even in those day when I'm weakest
there is always someone who is even weaker
and when I do dare to give again in those situations
I realize that there was always strength within
only i didn’t really know how to reach it

S: well God created man and said,
it is not good for man to be alone
and that's the way it is

U:
very true
nothing wrong with being with people
or around people
only problem i have with it is when we let them control the terms of our existence
our joys and moods,

this is how I see it
firstly man masters himself
controls his moods...
makes a conscious decision to know when to be happy...or stop being sad
know when to be strong..or bounce back from weakness
then he is better able to deal with the whims of people around
like he can control or change the weather around him
according to his conscious decisions

alone or in the crowd
he can smile and cause another to smile
whoever it is that may come by

thats just how i see it