Ushairi Mamboleo

Double Vision

2011-12-10T22:39:00.001+03:00

It fades into the background
And comes back into focus.
Frames my perception
Determines my scope of vision.
This very thinking I hold in the centre of my mind
Often reminds me that I make mistakes sometimes.

Proven myself wrong many times
But these wrong choices have led me to what is right often time
Taken myself to places that left me with many scars
But these scars have led me to seek out beauty in my life.
So just like a coin that has a head and a behind.
Every situation had got a flip side
Doesn't matter how it falls
How you pick it up and choose to look at it is up to you to decide

See...double vision is good sometimes
Two points of focus all in one eye
You might not see things clearly the first time
But as you pay attention
To what matters in your life
All the shadows shift to the background
And all that matters remains centred at the core of your mind.
See how double vision got you this far?
Good...leave a reply...maybe things look clearer in your minds eye

posted from Bloggeroid

Time

2011-11-11T19:03:00.003+03:00

Time
That skips and skids
Goes out of control
Glides and Collides
And rolls and rocks
And stops

Time
That is not mine
Has its own mind
Ticks and tocks
And leaks
And trickles
And flows
And floods
And clogs

Time
That oscillates and changes
That is bought and sold
stocked and traded
borrowed and repaid
shared and saved

Darn...time just ran out the door
Will finish this when time
Visits again

posted from Bloggeroid

Tracking Kenyan Cultures Through Dance

2011-11-01T23:52:00.000+03:00

Tracking Kenyan Cultures Through Dance

"IDENTITY" Dance Show - 2 November 2011

2011-10-22T20:24:00.006+03:00

"IDENTITY" dance show
2 November 2011
Alliance française Gardens - 7pm
direction & choreography
ANUANG'A Fernando

Guest Artist:
Iddi ACHIENG
Nina OGOT
Kamini Thakkar dancers
Maasai vocals group
The Rare Watts

Spoken Words: James ADOLWA

Dancers:
Dashy Crew - Vick & Renée
Remmy OMAR
Lynette NYAMBOKI
Diana ABOK
Mark ARELLIUS from Netherlands
Sarah nyatunge

Percussions:
Kazungu charo SHUTU

by: Anuang'a Fernando

REGRESSION

2011-10-07T21:37:00.003+03:00

Something took my words
And stole my voice
Covered my mouth
And cut the chords
Dumbed my mind
And jumbled my thoughts
Turned my words to muttered retorts

Something took willpower
And turned it to daydreams
Control to restraint
To contained obstructed
constipated prolapsed
displaced

Jumbled mumbled fumbled
words half words no words
Thoughts mixed up afterthoughts
hungover slurred
indistinct blurred

Words...thoughts
unbecoming becoming
less of what is supposed to be
Nothing

MInd lost..no control
Fading erasing
What should be

Reducing..retreating
degrading...degeneration

Frustration

IDENTITY DANCE SHOW AUDITIONS

2011-09-10T21:46:00.002+03:00

DANCE AUDITION
17 September 2011 - 10am- 4pm
Little theatre Club - Mombasa - Mbaraki road

24 September 2011 - 10am - 4pm
Kenya National Theatre - Harry Thuku rd

ALL DANCE WELCOME !
Traditional dance, Hip-Hop, Kramp,
Lingala, Jazz, Chakacha,
Contemporary, Waacking, House dance,
Gully Creeper, Break dance, Popping,
Urban dance, Indian dance…

2 minutes per dancer !

Dont forget your Musik !
info@anuanga.com

Unfolding

2011-08-19T00:53:00.004+03:00

I am
An unfolding
Of something so apparent
That I can't yet see
I am a becoming
of what I already am
A process that's just beginning
already at its ending
Becoming and being
starting and finishing
closing and opening
always continually
Something that's nothing
That is and isn't
Thats known...a mystery
Thats me

Temporary Enlightenment

2011-08-13T20:55:00.001+03:00

I opened my eyes that day
And realized I hadn't had a
Wakeful moment in many days
My actions set to autoplay
Missing out on the uniqueness of every breath
It's not now not all the same
But how soon am I going to forget
This consciousness that unconsciously slips away

posted from Bloggeroid

THIS

2011-08-02T21:51:00.001+03:00

This...
I knew what to do with it
When the dark curtain fell
l'd grab a pen
Let out every heavy word
Till I felt light again

It's a long time since I felt like this
So now I sit with it...
let the heaviness stick until
I am not able to
Cough up the gooey gruff.
I've burned too many notebooks
Dammit! I'm too old for this

posted from Bloggeroid

COUNTING

2011-08-01T19:25:00.002+03:00

Nine days that were and now aren't
Days counted as mine but now with a corporate stamp on them
Should scream my head off but I'm ok with it
That's just the way things are in this workplace grind

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7

OLD HABITS DIE

2011-07-05T20:23:00.006+03:00

I should have been writing but havn't
I should have been logging but didn't
Now its become harder to type out the words
to pick up a habit that was and now isn't

Picking up an old habit
One word at a time
but at the moment it looks like
Old habits die - and its hard

Tonight I restart my poetic journey #sitawapoetry

2011-06-07T23:27:00.000+03:00

Tonight I restart my poetic journey #sitawapoetry

Hey! I'm still here!

2011-02-13T12:50:00.001+03:00

Just to let you know this blog hasn't died yet. Imekua mda mrefu lakini bado niko. Asante sana kwa wote ambao wanaendelea kutembelea blogu hii.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7

SO THAT YOU MAY READ

2010-12-12T22:06:00.004+03:00

You want to read…
You want to read this
These words that don’t sit
Well enough together
To become sentences
Always uncomfortably shifting

You want to see…
You want to see where this leads
If it leads to meaning
By saying something
Or by almost saying nothing

Where does this go?
Where does this story go?
I want you to see this
I'm wondering who will
Have a look at this...
I want to write it

I want to write this
Because I want you to read it
I want to see if you will
Find some meaning
In all this.

This doesn’t mean anything
This doesn’t mean anything yet
Because I havn’t understood it
But maybe you will
That’s why I’m writing this
So that you may read.

James D. Adolwa - 12.12.2010

Maneno Yafuatana

2010-08-04T13:58:00.003+03:00

Maneno yanafuatana
Maana haija pangana
Ninaandika lakini ninajisimamisha
Nini kusudi ya maneno bila maana?

I'm writing but there is no pen in my hand
Trying to find meaning
On a scratch pad in my mind
I'm writing
But not understanding what's coming out

Ninaandika lakini sijaridhika
Ninajiuliza kama nimefika
Lakini inaonekana kwamba hata sijaanza
Kalamu karatasi lugha na maana

I have been writing
But I have not written much
Little scratches of an invisible pen
Writing numbers not words in my mind

Kujiita mwandishi ni mwito
Huwezi kuwa mwandishi bila kuandika
Huwezi kuwa mshairi bila kutunga
Siandiki-situngi-simwandishi-simshairi

I've been looking at the scratch-pad in my mind
Looking at what I've churned out over time
Its time I took this ship on a different course
A course I haven't charted yet

Kupanga maneno nitapanga mpaka
Maana idhihirike na kusudi ijulikane
Nitaendelea kuandika basi
Hata iwe pasi na dhamiri

James Adolwa
4th August 2010

ASALI -BABA SPEAKS ALBUM LAUNCH

2010-06-18T23:10:00.009+03:00

I needed to let go of some stress so I walked to Alliance Francaise in Nairobi; had a look at their notice board...saw an interesting poster for a concert this evening and attended...not knowing that it would be the most interesting and "enigmatic" concert I've ever attended. Great Poster translated to Great Concert and elaborate performance...now how many times do you get that lucky...below are posts I made on facebook concerning the concert. The last comment I made about Sophie Hungers music but it seems we have our own "Sophie Hunger" right here in Nairobi. It defines Melisa Asali's music perfectly.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Saw the poster at alliance...eishhh...creative stuff...never heard your music but had to get a ticket. Hope the music will be as creative as the poster (James Adolwa 18-06-2010 17:00 hours - Facebook)

____________________________________________________________________________________

Crazy performance...didn't understand a lot of it but enjoyed all of it...got both your CD and Documentary...now listening to the CD ( with headphones so that I catch every word) and enjoying it even more. Left me with a lot of questions...especially enjoyed the last song where you were desperately looking for babas voice mpaka you were pulling your ears...painful...thought inspiring. Eishhhhhhhhh great music.

Controversial...who is baba?.....lots of questions...keep doing music... its what you are meant to do. Yes...and write poetry...publish a book or something.

p.s. wondering if it was a double CD coz I got a double CD case with only one CD inside...cannot just yet get enough of it (James Adolwa 18-06-2010 23:00 hours - Facebook)
____________________________________________________________________________________

Words that could mean nothing...words that could mean everything...listened to this twice over...more than just interesting lyrics...beautiful but unusual...ethereal...like music from some other place...well worth a listen. (James Adolwa Facebook- 30th May 2010)

___________________________________________________________________________________

The youtube video is in English but a lot of soul searching questions are written all over her swahili songs. Get her CD...

Its May - Masiku Yapita

2010-05-10T22:48:00.009+03:00

It's May

I cannot believe its May
January and February and March
All gone and faded away
Its May today..like it was yesterday
And tomorrow the month remains
I can't believe its May

09.05.10

J. Adolwa

___________________________

Different Roles / Masiku Yapita

Masiku yapita
Misimu yabadilika
Marafiki waonana
Kisha waachana
Different Roles
Different Goals

Maisha yopata
Jawa na furaha
sina ila baraka
kukusindikisha
Different Roles
Different Goals

As we live our lives
Travelling on life's paths
It is good to know
that there are different roads
......for different souls

J. Adolwa - 2005

__________________________

p.s

I'm not a musician
but the words had a tune
so I had to put a song together
as awful as it may be

Ukweli-different roles by ushairimamboleo

...and here is another that I'd like to get out of the way...the first thing I ever tried to record. Did this around 2003 whispering into a microphone...a lot of distortion and buzzing but again I didn't say I was a musician...

Perfect People by ushairimamboleo

01-01-2012
And here is another one I dug up...done between 2003 and early 2006 will have to confirm this

Ukweli wa mambo by ushairimamboleo

Link to yahoo player

__________________________

THIS PLACE - THIS SPACE

2010-04-18T00:13:00.006+03:00

ON THE WAY TO

THIS PLACE

It’s been more than a month since I’ve been here and I am very conscious of the fact that I haven’t posted anything to this blog in that time.

Too much has been going on, I’ve moved towns…no longer in Nairobi and I am now more than 700 kilometres away in a small town in Coast province.

There is no FM radio or terrestrial television here. No real hospital, no supermarket, but there are many donkeys and goats and cows and insects and frogs…and am told if you are not very careful at night you might just meet a hyena…laughing.

The place doesn’t rain much but it floods… the water is salty and the roads to and from the place are regularly washed away. .

Those who speak Kiswahili here speak it perfectly with proper pacing and intonation.. real Kiswahili…not the variety you find in Nairobi. And for those who don’t speak Kiswahili…well, they don’t speak it at all.

There are many bars here. I frequent them a lot but only for lunch or supper. They have a lot to offer; meals …bed…breakfast. Many long distance trucks stop-over.

There is more tap-water here than in Nairobi…but just yet none of it is good for drinking…maybe in a month or two I will be able to.

All these stories and I haven’t mentioned the most significant thing - the heat. Its difficult to wear anything…I get a full nights sleep without needing a blanket. Its hot and humid…

By the way did I mention that I got to see the ocean!!! Last time I saw it I was a little kid…it still looks the same…nothings changed…but it still felt good looking into the beyond where water meets sky and you get yourself to thinking that the limits of your mind go way beyond the limits of your sight

Well, I live here now, it may be difficult to adjust but people – and/or animals whichever came first – have been here for thousands maybe millions of years and they have lived and thrived and conquered this land, now its my turn to make something for myself in this place. Am wondering what kind of shape for my life I will create out of this space…well…lets find out…

James Adolwa
18.04.2010

P.S –none of this is proper in terms of punctuation and grammar. Just random thoughts so just take them as they come…randomly

Great Tactician...Kenyan Politician

2010-03-15T21:28:00.002+03:00

I voted for you
But I don’t want you to lead me
I wish I could walk into that big house
And kick you out
But the guards at the gates wouldn’t let me

You specialize in scandal
Act like a vandal
Sadly all you do is legal
Because you determine what’s lawful
It’s painful

Diversion your main tactic
The media you best tool
A story cut short before its done justice
A new headline to cover it all up
before justice is done

James Adolwa – 14.03.2010

COMMENT MODERATION

2010-02-22T23:09:00.003+03:00

Hello, people...just to let you know...I've had to introduce comment moderation on my blog. Had someone post some dodgy links (I have since deleted them) to my posts and now when you search google with the title of this blog some strange stuff comes up with the search results...so i'll have to approve all comments from now on.

KENYA NEWS - MILK GLUT - DIVERSION - COTTAGE INDUSTRY

2010-02-12T20:37:00.004+03:00

I was sitting before a panel of interviewers today for admission into a training course and one of the questions that was shot at me by the panel was, "What have you watched on television recently that has disturbed you?” Of course with the pressure of an interview my response was absolute rubbish. I went on to talk on how the format of a documentary on television could have been improved...how they should have personalized the presentation by using an interview...how they should have tried to engage the audience by focusing more on the people rather than plain impersonal video shots. Clearly I missed the point of the question and I have already taken myself through the process of feeling like an absolute idiot. So here are the answers I should have given with emphasis on one point that so completely irked me.

Here are a few stories recently carried on Kenyan television that have disturbed me:

• How our politicians divert attention from one scandal that is receiving media attention to resurrect another "dying" but yet to be resolved scandal. Case in point- the maize scandal brought up by one faction of the political class to divert attention from the free primary education scandal in which politicians their side of the coalition are implicated.

• How the prime-minister played down the findings by Price-Waterhouse-Coopers on the maize scandal by saying that the Anti-Corruption Commission had earlier carried out investigations and had found “no wrong doing” by those implicated and exonerated them. However on a positive note he has set-up a committee to reconcile the two contradictory positions.

• The most disturbing of all, is how we, after suffering a long devastating drought and yet to recover from its effects are now forced to pour out thousands of litres of milk because our milk factories are not able to process it. We are still suffering from severe food shortages in many parts of the country, yet we are not at this point able to handle our domestic dairy production. We should have had the capacity to process all this wasted protein.

Our dependence and insistence on large scale industry scares me. It seems that everything (even the simplest) needs to be done on a large scale. It’s about time that we were able as communities to handle our local production. What we produce should be sustainably produced and consumable. If it is not consumable at that point it should be preservable. Local dairy farmers should have capacity (at least in terms of knowledge) to produce cheese or butter or yoghurt or ghee. It was sad to see farmers who had put in so much effort after the drought watch their labour go down the drain. What if this farmer had a way to process this milk? What if the technology and the know-how to process this milk was accessible to him?

With these questions the old concept of cottage industries came to mind. In our rush to industrialize we have ignored this important stage in the process. If we are not making progress on the macro level, let us work on the micro level. Several countries have successfully ensured food security by focusing on small scale local production. On a policy level, our politicians have let us down. It’s time for us to shift focus to small scale manufacturing and production (and I am not talking about jua-kali) its time for industries run by two or tree or ten people scattered in every corner of this country to make a difference in this economy...lets stop thinking super or mega or giga and start working on the local...one person with a cow, another with a micro-dairy, one with a maize shamba, another with a posho mill, one with a soap making project another with a fish farm...small sustainable communities working together…using what they produce and selling, saving, storing or preserving the excess.

However, you still cannot ignore the Macro-level. The government with the input of communities should implement a shift in policy and focus on building local capacity for communities to handle their own production. It is in the governments very own interest to ensure that its communities are knowledgeable enough and capable enough to handle their own economy -whatever the scale- right from production through processing, distribution and consumption. For a country that is yet to achieve food security and experiences such erratic weather patterns we cannot afford to waste such a rich source of protein as milk. Our government needs to be able to predict outcomes and support the efforts of its citizens.

James Adolwa
February 12, 2010

Originally posted on http://www.pazasauti.com

Hey - Just A Band

2010-02-09T19:15:00.007+03:00

Hebu niwafurahishe leo na muziki ya Just A Band kutoka hapa Kenya. Unaweza kuwapata hapa http://www.just-a-band.com

KIMYA

2010-02-02T22:04:00.004+03:00

Sina mengi ya kusema
Ingawa kuna mengi yametendeka
Maneno hayawezi kupangika
Kutoa maana ya yanayofanyika
Nimejitahidi kuandika
Lakini kalamu yavunjika
Sina mengi ya kusema
Ingawa kuna mengi yametendeka

Maneno mengi ningesema
Lakini sitaki kujilazimisha
Afadhali ningetenda
Na kwa vitendo mgeona
Ni vizuri ninyamaze
Na kwa kimya niwaze
Maneno mengi nigesema
Lakini sitaki kujilazimisha

Maneno hayawezi toka mdomoni
Kabla ya kamilike akilini
Kuropokwa na kukosa maana
Si vile ningependa kujulikana
Wacha kwanza mawazo kupangana
Halafu ulimi kutangaza
Maneno hayawezi toka mdomoni
Kabla ya kamilike akilini

Kuna mengi ya kuelewa
Kuna mengi ya kufikiria
Na fikira zikikoma
Basi maneno yataisha
Sijaacha kufikiriria
Sijaacha kuongea
Ni tu maneno yangu naweka akiba
Nitayaseme yote pamoja na riba

James Adolwa
February-02-2010

OLD THOUGHTS

2010-01-14T22:53:00.000+03:00

They go forward and backward and then repeat
They are insistent and constant and habitual it seems
Excessive...Established...Familiar
I'm afraid I might have let them sink their roots too deep

I want to leave them behind me
but behind me is not the best place for them to be
I want to start running
but running will only bring them closer to me
They surround me
And from inside me they seem to increase

These things are creeping me out
Because their faces look eerily like me
When I stamp my foot on them
the pain shoots right up to my knee

These little devils sprung up from me
Little soldiers I made to open up a path for me
And as an army they fought valialty
But now the mutant insurgents attack
And shackle my feet

These thoughts I think that make thinking incomplete
This way of seeing things that is now totally obsolete
These old patterns of cognition that crawl up to retard my increase
These methods of finding meaning that make meaning disappear in a mist

James Adolwa
14/01/2010

USHAIRI MAMBOLEO

2010-01-06T22:30:00.001+03:00

This is likely to be my shortest post yet - though I might have to look through my posts to confirm this. This is for the benefit of those who might find themselves viewing this blog and end up wondering what "Ushairi Mamboleo" is. So just the basic definitions

First things first....the two words are in Kiswahili /Swahili

Ushairi: poetry
Mamboleo: connotes or implies "modernity" (to be honest I need help on defining this)
Ushairi Mamboleo: modern poetry

Ok...time to be honest...I've not posted anything this year...so I decided to get that barrier out of the way and get started on my blogposts for 2010....at least its a start...said almost nothing with so many words.

CRAW FORUM

2009-12-27T18:01:00.008+03:00

CRAW FORUM - Creative Artists and Writers Forum

I know...I have been quiet for a long time. Call it writers block or laziness or something. I don't quite know what it is.

Am writing this post to introduce all of you to a new site. http://www.craw-forum.com. Well, this a site for Artists and Writers to share their work, get information, chat, discuss, network and get tips on improving their trade. I have had opportunity to meet the founders of the forum and I know that they are really passionate about this.

So let us get sharing as artists; whether you are a poet, writer, musician, actor, graphic artist, painter...lets get involved and improve and network.

To visit the forum and sign up CLICK HERE
To read one of my poems hosted on the forum CLICK HERE

Wishing you a happy prosperous,productive, restful and peaceful 2010
Let all your plans come together and give fulfilment and harmony
May you have unity of purpose, desire and will
May your thoughts be coherent, logical and expansive
May you find all the pieces that make your dreams complete

ON PATIENCE - TOLERANCE - STRENGTH

2009-12-09T21:18:00.001+03:00

Two poems with the same first line. I havn't made sense of them yet

PATIENCE

Patience is pain
Dull and drawn out
A protracted battle
Where no dust is raised
The space between letting go
And letting things stay the same
A place where inertia is your friend
And progress imperceptibly sustained
Patience is no game
Its a battle with no territory gained
A slow steady motionless pace
Where you stay as you push against
The walls that cage you in

09.12.2009
James Adolwa

PATIENCE - TOLERANCE - STRENGTH

patience is pain
prolonged, expanded, sustained
Tolerance is irritation
bottled up, inhibited, suppressed
Strength is weakness
transmuted, uprooted, twitched
Light is darkness
expelled, evicted, ejected

08.09.2009
James Adolwa

BITTERSWEET

2009-11-29T16:03:00.001+03:00

I hate you, I hate you
That is what his heart said
But I love you,I dearly love you
His mouth said.
I don't want to see you,you little devil you!
His heart raged..
But I need you,I want to be near you,
Lovely angel you, His heart repeated again.
You irritate me!His heart yelled
But you are lovely angelic and kindly,
his mouth adored.

Thank God it's over!
His heart yelled.
But when can I see you again?
His mouth pleaded its earnest request.
Get away run away stay away,
don't come near me again!
But his mouth,
Dearest, Your presence is sweetness to me

Copyright ©2001 James Dan Adolwa

EVEN IF YOU SPOKE

2009-10-29T22:52:00.000+03:00

I don't hear you anymore
Not because you've stopped talking
Its just that I haven't taken time to listen

When I think about it
I haven't really heard your voice before
Because I don't yet know how you speak

Can someone really forget a familiar voice?
If I hear the voice of someone I knew in standard 4
Even today I would recognize the face of the person who spoke

I think I don't know you at all
Yet all along I have wanted to know you most
But to be honest your face remains as strange as your voice

Just A Band

2009-10-23T22:42:00.005+03:00

Hii ni video ambayo imenipendeza sana. imetungwa na "Just A Band" wanaotunga muziki yao kishairi kweli. Wametoa CD nyingine mpya inayoitwa "82" Sikupata nafasi ya kuenda kwa launch ya hiyo CD lakini kulingana na yale nimesikia.. it is worth getting hold of. Unaweza kuwapata hapa http://www.just-a-band.com. Pia unaweza soma makala/simulizi nilioandika kwa blogu nyingine kuwahusu walipoimba hapo Goethe Institut hapa Nairobi miezi kadhaa iliyopita. Fungua hapa http://www.pazasauti.com/2009/02/usi-ni-bore.html

EXPERIMENTS WITH SOUND

2009-10-20T21:44:00.008+03:00

Poetry can be told without words
As long as there is a story
There is Poetry

There was a time I used to play with sound. I'd sit infront of the computer and come up with some form of arrangement. I do not know if they were musical (maybe you will tell me in your comments) but they certainly have a story to tell. Whenever I listen to them they throw my mind back several years ago... to a certain way of thinking... feeling... believing.... talking.... acting.... its like hypnosis.... I automatically get back in touch with something from back then...and I start thinking just how far I have come and how far I am yet to go. These pieces of sound are pieces of thought. Pieces of habit... pieces of believing.... pieces of being. From the same source that attempts to write poetry was an attempt a while back at music. All products of thinking....

Kuna kitu kwa muziki...kuna wakati maishani nilipoamua kucheza na sauti...niliketi mbele ya komputa nikijaribu kupanga sauti ili iwe muziki. Wakati wopote ninaposikiliza hizi sehemu za sauti fikirazangu hunipeleka miaka kadhaa nyuma wakati nilipotunga haya. Maisha ni fikira na fikira ni maisha...nilikuwa nikifikiria nini nilipotengeneza haya sehemu? Umuhimu ya hayo fikira ilikuwa nini?... Hayo fikira yaliniletea faida gani maishani? Kila ninapoyasikiliza yananikumbusha mazoea fulani ya fikira niliyokuwa nikikiyarudia wakati huo. Hizi sehemu za sauti pia ni sehemu za fikira zangu ambazo ningependa kuacha nanyi.

These are the very first experiments I did. There are others that were done later that had better clearer results so treat this post as a work in progress I hope to add better mp3 files in time...

Samahani Kwa wote ambao wamejaribu kucheza hizi file. Machini imekataa...na sijui kwanini, lakini badala ya kuzitoa kwanza ningependa kupata suluhisho. Niwie radhi

MY appologies to all those who might have tried to play the mp3 files. I do not yet know why the files will not play...am still looking for a solution...anyone with any ideas...

3 days later problem fixed I hadn't enabled sharing on the folder...another day a lot of new things learnt, now I know that you have to enable sharing on a file sharing site. Now wondering if all the mp3's are worth all the effort. Am sure some of you might want to stone me once you get to hear them...but like I said as I keep uploading more they will progressively get better...

Bado
Dakika Moja
Gari La Moshi
Makasi
We Nani

Wanaonongea kiswahili... nisamehe kwa kiswahili yangu....najua ninavunja sheria nyingi za kiswahili lakini nimeamua nitajitahidi

Life and Breath

2009-10-11T21:58:00.000+03:00

Breathe in
We often think we are living
Breathe out
But often our souls have stopped breathing

We need to take a deep breath
In.......
Because we've been holding all of it in
Out.....

Without Breathing
In living we become dead
But many times in living
Our souls are holding their breaths

I need to find my souls nose
Because my souls stopped breathing
I need to unblock that nose
Because my soul has had a cold for too long

We keep breathing
To keep our bodies alive
We keep living
To breathe life into our souls

In living many souls
Havn't found their noses yet
And without breathing
Many souls have become dead

James Adolwa 11/10/2009

Kwani Open Mic @ Club Soundd

2009-10-06T23:12:00.000+03:00

Attended the kwani open mic today and I think I might have been converted to a Kwanism (not that that’s how they label themselves)

They hold an open mic session every first Tuesday of every month at Club Soundd on Standard Street. I have known this for a very long time but have put off attending for close to a year. Well I was there today better late than never.

The only thing that might have spoiled it for me was the cigarette smoke (I sat next to the bar....an area they seem to have designated for smokers and I didn't know it at the time) and the noise from conversation (well I also did my fair share of talking because I met an old college mate) that slowly drowned out the voices of the poets.

Well, if you attended or are in the habit of attending the Kwani Open Mics at club sound post me a comment. I need a few pointers on how to get into the whole Kwani community

That's all for today...have a lot of reading to catch up on...Purple Hibiscus and Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Adichie which were on a 2 for one offer at the event...another good reason why I think I will keep attending....

p.s. Just visited the kwani website www.kwani.org
and saw that the short story competition “THE KENYA WE HAVE” deadline had been extended…good thing…I tried meeting the previous deadline but gave up when my write up fell way short of the 2000 words minimum required. A real challenge for someone who hardly ever writes anything more than 100 words.

MANTRA

2009-10-04T20:14:00.001+03:00

The chains have fallen
The darkness has lifted
The mantra I keep chanting
But nothings happening

Has something started
That my eyes havn't caught
Maybe good things are astir
Underneath the surface of my Thoughts

I'll keep singing myself the same song
The chains have fallen
The darkness has lifted
My life has started
My lot has shifted

Repeat
The chains have fallen
The darkness has lifted
My life has started
My lot has shifted

ONE DAY

2009-09-15T21:04:00.000+03:00

One day I will remember today
Like I remember one yesterday
One day I will look back and ask myself
Why I gave so much of a damn about nada
Some insignificant speck that got stuck in my brain
That so completely obscured
Much of the rest of my life
One day I will wake up and in waking be itegrated
The light in my eye effulgent
The feeling in my heart just different
The sack in my head will give way to lightness
And the constant lump in my throat to freeness
One day, not so far from today
That one day this feeling will go away
This obcuring dulness will fade away
This heaviness will shed its weight
I know because I've been here before
And just like on that yesterday
This abstraction will go away
These cobwebs around my head
Will fade
One day

A Blank Gap

2009-09-06T22:09:00.000+03:00

Lacuna rhymes with hakuna
almost have the same meaning
thats just about how am feeling

Nothings clear
nothings here
its all foggy
Only dullness in my brain.

STOETRY

2009-07-30T22:41:00.002+03:00

They all had their own stories to tell
they told them in their own perfect way.
They spoke of blades, bullets. Drugs and needles
Words of their fathers...words of their mothers
Fat cats and top dogs
Hope in God and hope that was lost
One staggered and stammered
His point driven home and hammered
Talk of cuts and slits and city streets
All spoken word
But not all words were spoken
There were things I heard
But no one really said them
They told our own stories
They recited their poetry
They spoke for us
They spoke like us
Their stories…Our poetry
Stoetry

James Adolwa 30/07/2009

STOETRY…Once upon a time in Poetry…Kenya National Theatre…30th July 2009
10 poets, 1 band, one dance group ….Kenya has talent!!! Real talent!!!

Thanks to Nation Media Group for letting me weave this story/poetry into my life.

TAKE OFF

2009-07-27T22:29:00.001+03:00

"A bigger jet needs a longer runway to take off."
Hebu jijazie maana...

J.D.A 27/07/09

MIND

2009-07-07T20:38:00.000+03:00

Mind
Rewind
Timed
Defined
Confined
Mind
March on
Expand
Command
Demand
Work with me
Mind!

James Adolwa, 07/07/2009

AUTHENTICITY

2009-06-13T22:24:00.000+03:00

It is not how you act
But how you are
Not what you have
But who you are
Not where you go
But where that’s home
Not who you meet
But who you’re with.

Not what is temporary
But what endures
Not the journey
But the road you’re on
Not what is imagined
But what is believed
That is what is important…
I think…..

James D. Adolwa
25/1/2002

(I've posted this before...but I think its worth posting again)

MASWALI

2009-06-07T19:42:00.000+03:00

Naona huwezi kosa jiuliza maswali
Kwani maswali yatoka kwa matokeo maishani
Nimejaribu kunyamazisha masauti mawazoni
Lakini yanaendelea kupaza sauti akilini
Jana tu simu yangu ya rununu kaibiwa
Mwezi uliopita akaunti na majambazi kafagiliwa
Maswala madogo ukizingatia yale mazito wengine wamepitia
Lakini lazima nijiulize ni kwanini!
Kwanini mambo haya yafuatane hivi?
Serina, Fadhy maswali nitawaachia

James Adolwa 07/06/2009

CHANZO

2009-06-04T19:08:00.000+03:00

Hutapata majibu maishani
Usipouliza maswali
Hutaweza kuelewa matokeo
Usipochunguza chanzo

Who am I?
What am I doing here?
Where am I going?
Will this road get me there?

A few basic questions
Maswali yote mnayo
Not many have the answers
Maisha ni kujibu hayo

04/06/2009 James Adolwa

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS ALL THIS

2009-06-02T20:05:00.000+03:00

Its very easy to fall in love
but remember to shut your mouth
and not say a thing about it
because its also very easy to make a fool of yourself

Its not so easy to be courageous
Especially when its about something you believe in
because its not so easy to believe in anything
when everything is almost always half right

It is easier to pretend to be a leader
Give the masses a few doses of deluding words
Then change your story and string them along
Just when they are about to figure that its all a lie

Its not easy to be a follower
because there aren't many true leaders
somehow you've got to not care enough
to stand behind one who is as blind as you are

Its not easy to figure life out
whats good whats bad whats wrong whats right
Often times we live in an illusion
following those whose delusions are potent enough

Its not easy to make sense of anything
Especially when I am writing. Am reading this and thinking
What do the first two verses have to do with the rest of this
And something is telling me "Absolutely Everything!"

James Adolwa 02/06/2009

FIKIRA

2009-05-26T21:05:00.000+03:00

Kumekauka!!!
Fikira zimepotea
Nimefikiria
Nimejaribu
Nothing
Hakuna
Blurred thought
groping in the dark
Giza

James D. Adolwa 26/05/2009

ME

2009-05-21T19:31:00.001+03:00

I don't understand this
Maybe I am not supposed to
I know I should be
The custodian of my thoughts
But my thoughts
Are taking control of me
Or are my thoughts me
And not just a part of me
Do my thoughts make me
Do they feed the real me
Is this me
Or is this the thoughts I think
Can I seperate myself
From these things
These thoughts
Or are they me
The substance that makes me real
These things...thought
This thing...me

James Adolwa 21/05/2009

SPIRIT OF THE SONG

2009-05-20T19:26:00.001+03:00

Sunshine
Shining
Brightening my dark skies
Painting in
Colours that sing

Rainbows
Bowing
Honouring the music
The rainfall brings

Showers
Drumming
Making a rhythm
Inviting
The birth of new beings

The wind blows
Humming
Melodies of mercy
As the trees
Wave the harmony

The seasons
playing
Natures new music
With spirit of each song
they sing

18/04/2001
James D. Adolwa

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CLAY

2009-05-18T23:11:00.002+03:00

The potter sits at the wheel,
He takes a ball of clay and throws it.
As he pedals the ball begins to spin.
… a light touch.
Through his hands he gives it a part of his life.
With his hands he tells the clay its life story
He whispers into its ear its destiny.
The clay responds
It pays attention to the words
…spoken with the potters hands

"I believe!" The clay seems to say .
"Make me what you want me to be."
it is transformed.
Then the potter squeezes the clay
and mashes it up.
The clay wonders why
The potter takes the clay in his hands
and starts moulding
all over again.

“There were some flaws
..I want you to be perfect.”
With his hands the potter says.
He moulds, makes and creates.
“What an awesome possession you will be.
I want you to be able to withstand the furnace
…though you look pretty good
I cannot yet use you
You have a special work
So l'll perfect you
I'll make sure I've loved you
held you, moulded you
then you can work for me
Right after you've gone through the flames.

12/04/2001 James Adolwa

WHAT IF...WHAT THEN?

2009-05-04T21:22:00.000+03:00

What if I was a star
That crashed right into earth
With my light now turned to dark
And the glitter into ash

What if I was a moon
That lost its glory too soon
Thrown to earth as junk
Because it could not do its work.

What if the earth is a junk yard
For all the universes discarded and disused
Where would that put you?
Wouldn’t it leave you a bit confused?

James D. Adolwa
21/2/ 2002

GO HOME SIR!

2009-04-25T18:27:00.001+03:00

You claim you want to lead me!
Plain, flat and boring
Where do you think you’ll take me?
Into the brightest darkness
Your dim dark soul can supply?
Your words are uninspiring.
If I were to give a speech,
I’d make one better than you ever could.
Mr President Sir!
Is that what you want me to call you?
Mr indolent Sir!
I’d rather address you thus.
What got into your sin sick mind?
Mr Presidential candidate!
I’d rather think you as
Your hungry madness!
You are power hungry Sir.
And your emaciated heart
Has led to temporary blindness
Making you grope
In the deception of your darkened thoughts.
I cannot give you my vote poor Sir.
My fellow countrymen will not give you their vote.
You waste your time. Go home Sir.
I will not have you make a joke of
Our Country’s hopes

James D. Adolwa. 9/1/2002

METAMORPHOSIS

2009-04-19T14:44:00.003+03:00

Take all you have,
All that you’ve earned .
Put it together
And multiply it by zero
That is the sum total
Of all your lifes work.

Take all your friends
And all your enemies
And throw them out the window
Then look at what you’ve become
Alone, yourself, an individual

Take all your hopes
And all your wishes
Wash them out
Like dirt on dishes
Watch the suds
Go down the drain
Rinse out the sink
See what remains

Take all your pleasure
And all your pain
All that is forgotten
All memories that remain
Clear them off your brain
There is too much junk
Taking up little space.

Take what you have
And count it as nought.
What you didn’t know,
make it your treasure sought
seek to recover all the time you lost
That is what it takes
to shed your old skin
and change

(James D. Adolwa. 3rd January 2002)

DIGITAL INSANITY - MATTER OVER MIND

2009-04-13T10:50:00.000+03:00

Lost my phone and bought another
costs twice as much but works just the same
extra features that i'll probably use once in a year
but I just had to have it..mine it had to be.
I don't know why...but I had to buy it...
RDS Radio (not that I know what that means)
Megapixel camera (I am not a photographer)
3G access to the internet on a really tiny screen
all useless but silly me, I just had to have it

James Adolwa - 13/04/2009

SHOULD I - SHOULDN'T I

2009-04-07T19:38:00.001+03:00

I shouldn't post this
I shouldn't go to work tomorrow
I shouldn't just do what my boss tells me
I shouldn't watch TV tonight

I should try and write something better
I should start looking for another job
I should first try and make sense of what he tells me
I should spend some time to think of my future

Should I? Shouldn't I?

James Adolwa 07/04/2009

DISCONNECT

2009-04-04T20:10:00.001+03:00

A little 1960's style African Poetry.

MKOLONI

Nimejibu
Nimeuliza
Mkoloni
Ninini alilofikiria
Kuvunja kufuja
kufutilia
Hata lugha
Yote kupotea
Mila desturi
Fikira maudhui
Ukweli tuliojua
Uongo tumejivalisha
Koti Shati Tai
kwa ukoloni
twajidai

02/04/2009
James Adolwa

DISCONNECT

I am lost
I don’t speak the language
of my grandmother
Cut off
from those who should be my brothers
robbed of
what was most important to my forefathers

I speak the language
Worship a God
Listen to the music
Adhere to the culture of another
A stranger, a traveller, a sailor

Without wanting to
I act like; talk like
Think like this stranger
Not that it is he
I particularly admire…
It is just that
The only knowledge that I can acquire
Is the culture of this mad traveller.

James Adolwa
19/1/2002

Matopeni Album Launch by Mutinda

2009-04-03T23:22:00.004+03:00

Abbi, was there, Lulu was there, Mutinda was there, so where were you if you weren't at the Alliance Francaise for the launch of Matopeni?

"I can imagine myself Monday morning in a lift/elevator with this song playing in my head "
Kariuki Thige

"My work will be accomplished if only my music today reminds you to be happy "
Mutinda

"You alone can write the story of your life"
Mutinda

"The rain brings joy and pain...to the farmer it signals a harvest...to the driver...delay and traffic jams...to the city dweller...jumping over puddles and avoiding the mud
Lulu and Sauti za kewetu band

I have talked of Fusion before...here is another great example...Mutinda
J.D.A

I remember...I will remember...because I was happy during and at the end of the show
J.D.A

P.s...and then there was a wardrobe malfunction in the crowd...but that's a story for another day...

To sample some of his music visit http://www.myspace.com/MUTINDAMUSIC

From The Author

2009-04-02T19:48:00.001+03:00

February 2005

We all have wishes; we all have dreams. One of them for me is to have a book with my name on the cover and some really good material in the pages. But not having enough material or not having an actual book does not mean that I never will accomplish my dream.

There is something limitless in me and probably limitless in everyone that will not be caged within the walls of ones personality. So even if one is not the best in something or if ones skill is not yet perfected, there lies a secret in the act of doing and continuing and journeying and living and increasing.

So, I continue living and being and doing and journeying even though I am, in many things, not yet skilled or perfect or thorough. But I enjoy the things I do and I try not to let people who see things differently have too much of an influence on me. Though I might have some interest in what they say, what they think of me (good or bad) doesn’t make all of me.

We do not need perfect people. Those who are boundless are limitless in their own way. But no one is a super hero and we do not need to try to be. Hercules and superman are stories and myths and they never really did exist. Be happy with who you are and what you see but do not forget to improve and grow. Don’t just be but become.

I am not trying to pretend that no one else has said the same thing. They may have used a different set of words but the meaning is still the same. So enjoy these pages...tell me what you think and don’t forget to read the poems because they’re really good.

James

Ps
I’m not always this positive you can tell from some of my poems.

(first posted in February 2005 on another page...the entire contents of this post may not still hold true)

Mwangaza

2009-03-31T20:26:00.006+03:00

Here are a few poems published in Mwangaza, Journal of University of Nairobi Literature students (2002) Nairobi, Kenya. Though the Journal is titled Mwangaza (Light) the light that these poems shine is very dark

To A Friend

It is painful to hurt a friend
It is painful to stab a soul mate
For when we hurt the other
We hurt ourselves
It is like punching a mirror
Hurting one through whom
You see a reflection
Of your very self
It is hard not to understand yourself
Arguing with the very person
Who has moulded a part of your personality
Made a part of what I call "me"
It is hard to stay this way
But it is even harder to get on the right road again
For then we have to dig into ourselves
Discard all that is vain
Do away with all the pain
Look for a place where honour, love and respect remain
I hope that life’s journey leads us closer to that place

©2002 James Dan Adolwa

God In My Mind

I believed in a god who spoke lies
I believed in a god who spoke vanity
into my mind
My god gave promises,
Which were never to come to pass.
And birthed dreams in my mind,
to make a fool of me infront of those
I opened my heart

I held on to empty hopes
I gave service to a foolish goal.
It was insanity.
That was what it was.
For after all this,
my god never bothered to visit me

I spoke to him devotedly
But did he speak back to me?
And though his prophets talked of
and showed his majesty,
His majesty never happened to me

So let me speak
one last time to him.
It might seem
a most foolish thing
but one does not pay attention
to one who is ignoring him

So god in my mind
You know all my prayers
You already know
the troubles on my mind
Not only because you know all
But also that I have told you
many times before.
I need an answer
Not to prove your existence
But to find out whether
you really care
or not at all
I will not repeat my prayers
But I’ll make the unspoken requests
Through these words
So answer me
Dear God.

©2002 James Dan Adolwa

The Mess that I Am

You look at me and think.
Boy! His life is all right.
Well can I give you my sleepless nights?
You say he couldn’t have a problem on his mind
But can you take it, if all your friends said goodbye?
And that night I almost lost my mind!!!
Have you ever lived like a pauper in a rich mans house?
Or been ordered to fast at a feast?
Have you ever regretted who you are?
Or has anyone ever tried to make you what you don’t want to be?
So I do not want or need your compliments
Or shouts of surprise
For they only torment my mind
And let me know even more that
I have not reached my goal
And have become the mess that I am.
I know that all that I want is within grasp
But the devil that I am is holding back my hand

©2002 James Dan Adolwa

THINGS

2009-03-30T19:18:00.000+03:00

Some things just creep up on you
You don’t know when they started
You don’t know how they are going to end
Some things just turn up for you
Good or bad: Enemy or friend
Some things just take control of you
Others you can make work for you
Some make life like heaven or hell
But one things certain
All things come to an end
We just don’t know how or when

(James D. Adolwa 24/9/2002)

NEW PARKING LOT OPEN

2009-03-27T19:35:00.001+03:00

Mombasa road Is not a road
Its a huge crawling parking lot
Its faster to walk.
Better find your way to Enterprise road
But don't make the mistake of crawling on Mombasa Road

DELUSION

2009-03-24T20:02:00.002+03:00

Just learnt something from my last post....how much can you push the truth until it becomes a lie...I hope you people are with me... believing something so so completely that it flips and becomes its very opposite. Believing the truth to the point that it becomes a lie. That's the stuff that cults are made of...pushing the truth until it becomes a lie...the truth on drugs....getting high on the truth...shifting the truth to overdrive...overspeeding with the truth....

Definitions from my friend the dictionary ( all from wordweb)

-The act of deluding; deception by creating illusory ideas

-A mistaken or unfounded opinion or idea

-(psychology) an erroneous belief that is held in the face of evidence to the contrary

Glad I was able to face the truth....or was I?????

MORE FROM THE ARCHIVES

2009-03-22T15:46:00.005+03:00

Done poetry, painting, drawing, a little of prose and now I am going to try some music (or something that comes close to it) These are from my archives...my very first attempts at recording music. Despite the poor quality (both in the instrumentation and the vocals) I still give myself a little credit because not many people can do this - whatever it is- Did these close to five years ago. Never shared them and since I don't do any music anymore I thought they might rot in the archives so I decided to bring them out.Enjoy or get thoroughly irritated...its all up to you

24/03/2009------I listened to my conscience and got rid of the music....couldn't stand it myself ------- delusion is a very dangerous thing.....am laughing now..... I just cannot believe that I put that out for close to 24 hours....I cannot believe it...

JUST A THOUGHT

2009-03-19T19:10:00.000+03:00

Just been thinking
this is very profound
Numbers have no sound!!!

NO CONTROL

2009-03-12T22:20:00.000+03:00

NO CONTROL

I don't know what to feel right now.
If I get angry I will probably break down and cry.
Today I ran into a gang of thugs.Hijacked
I went for a tour of Nairobi under the seat of a car.
With the constant threat of a bullet and a gun.

Today I know I have a lot to be grateful for
But today I also realize just how much I am not in control
My life, my time, my day, my plans, my income, my spending,
In one minute everything can go wrong
In one instant you lose your life, your joy, your song, your soul.

James Adolwa 12/03/2009

FUSION - Indo Masai

2009-03-04T22:36:00.005+03:00

http://www.miziziart.org/en/

Interesting how two things that are distinctly different and seperate can be brought together to form something more harmonious and beautiful than the two on their own....just attended the Indo-Masai fusion dance at the French Cultural Centre in Nairobi and was inspired by the whole performance. Two different styles of dance...that developed in distinctly different environments and were performed through history for different reasons were put together to produce something that was more powerful than any one of them.

It got me thinking..."What things can I put together in my life to produce something that is of more value than the two on their own". Just think about it...two interests...two talents...two hobbies...two friends...two seperate items of clothing...two bank accounts...two seperate investments...two things just two things...here are some examples of fusion to get you inspired

-The merging of adjacent sounds or syllables or words (wordweb)

-The combining of images from the two eyes to form a single visual percept (wordweb)

-Correction of an unstable part of the spine by joining two or more vertebrae (wordweb)

-nuclear fusion

These are not the best examples of fusion but they are certain to get you thinking of things that you can put together in your life to make it better...

To see pictures Click Here

http://www.miziziart.org/en/

JIBU KWAKO

2009-02-24T21:46:00.001+03:00

JIBU KWAKO

Jibu kwako
mimi sina
mpaka unipe
swali unalouliza
funga macho
alafu fikiria
Labda maono
yatakutafsiria

James Adolwa, 2004

MISUNDERSTOOD

What I said is not what I meant
and the response I got
was not to the questions I raised
the conclusion you made
was not based on the facts I gave
you misunderstood all my lies again

James Adolwa 17/06/2007

YOU

Anything and anyone you cannot control you criticize

Anyone who offers to lend a hand you villanize

And anyone who doesnt want to be or think as you do you demonize

James Adolwa 2004

"The meaning of communication is the response we get"

Which heaven is in the soil?

2009-02-23T21:40:00.000+03:00

Was watching KTN news feature "The Inside Story", and heard just about the saddest thing I have heard in a long time.

The story is of a mother whose husband had been part of the Peace Keeping Mission in Sierra Leone. After the husband came back home he got sick with strange symptoms and died shortly after.

After her husband was burried her son asked her "Mum where has dad gone?" she answered by saying that dad has gone to heaven. Her son asked, "But mum, which heaven is in the soil?"

THE HOUSE WITH THE RED ROOF

2009-02-21T22:12:00.002+03:00

I attended a writing workshop today. I havn't been in such a class for a really long time but I was amazed at what the writers (I really dont consider myself one) churned out in just twenty minutes. I didn't read my story in the workshop partly because I didn't want to share my amateurish work with those professionals but I will share it with you because here there is no pressure...The task was " Write a short story entitled " THE HOUSE WITH THE RED ROOF" I didnt complete the story because all I came up with is three paragraphs and here they are:

THE HOUSE WITH THE RED ROOF

There weren't many people in the village. There weren't many houses. But there was one that stood out conspicuously half way up a hill surrounded by many trees. It really was an oddity in these parts given that the whole area surrounding this hill was parched savannah land.

As I drove my tour van I could see the tourists shift their attention towards this building or the little they could see of it through the trees. I could see them ask themselves questions in their minds. "Who might it be that lives there?", " Is that where we are going to pitch camp?", "I thought we were going to the farthest place from civilization...this is not supposed to be here!"

Often, I looked behind in anticipation. The house and its trees always made the visitors feel uneasy and from experience it never took long before someone asked the question ... "What is that house up there?" and I would pretend that I havn't seen it and ask, "Which one?" and he would finish, "That one up there...the house with the red roof." I am always filled with a great sense of satisfaction once one of them asks this because in that house on the hill is where my story begins............

Not very good right? but here is where the fun begins Your Task. I would like you to complete the story...How? Just post a comment with one word, one clause, one sentence or if you feel "sufficiently philanthropic" one paragraph that would make the story flow. Lets see where the story goes...try and be as humorous, creative, silly, out of this world but let the story flow..Who goes first? Type out something in the comments box below

PAZA SAUTI

2009-02-21T12:58:00.000+03:00

PAZA SAUTI An East African sounding board on African people, places, politics, policy or persuasions. A place where we can disagree, but still talk. Click Here

GOD BLESS THE MUSIC

2009-02-19T18:49:00.002+03:00

Jan 26 2008 11:10 PM

Have you ever asked yourself what you are doing? Where are you going with yourself? Have you ever felt like you have forgotten who you are...and when you look in the mirror you are not so sure who is looking back....Have you ever sat down to think just what it is that you think about? You know....turned yourself inward and tried to ask yourself all the important questions:

-What’s up with you dummy?
-What in the world are you doing?
-Where are you going?
-What the *#*# were you thinking?
-Are you really making sense?

And all the friends and relatives of these questions

Well, got to that place on Friday. I was at home and thinking was just not working. The questions were not getting answered and they had called their neighbours and cousins for backup to bombard my mind.....My head was screaming like hell (though I have to confess I have never been there before)

TV was not helping neither was the newspaper. I tried some breathing exercises and that seemed to calm me a bit then a voice that was my own whispered an idea into my head (funny I was able to hear it)
“…Think of happier times... la la la la laaa…” I think there was a poor connection didn't quite hear the last part then it went mteja na simu ikakatika.

Well anything to get these questions out of my head so I tried thinking of happier times but I needed a vehicle and what better way to visit the days of your life than through music.....I remembered songs from as long ago as 1987…Kim Hill and Commissioned which took me back as long ago as standard 2. I definitely could remember some good times then…I brought myself to more recent times with more music that had stuck in my mind..India Arie, Hugh Masekela (strawberries)…some good old songs that kept swimming in my head.

You know, music acts as a marker to the days of our lives. It’s like a road map....not necessarily telling you where you are going but where you have come from and the places you have been. Its like landmarks saying “ James passed through here on his journeys.” and though you may feel that you've stopped, music tells you that you are moving on, you have made progress...you are going somewhere.

Every important event in your life can be marked by a song. Remember High School?... those days when a radio was illegal/contraband but you had one in school anyway and would hide it under your pillow....remember that? Remember listening to Capital Fm or Metro late nights when they were just new stations? Remember when the house master walked into your dorm-room on a surprise inspection? Remember when he woke you up and caught you red handed or should I say red-eared listening to your radio? Remember how it felt when it was confiscated? Remember the song that was playing as he pulled it from under the pillow? Remember the song? Yaaa those were the good old days......and some good old good days are coming up ahead. God Bless the music and God Bless Kenya. Give the TV a break and turn up the radio.

p.s You might have come across this post somewhere else, first posted in Jan 2008…by the same author

BITTERSWEET

2009-02-18T14:33:00.000+03:00

If you dont have much to say dont force yourself to say it. Click Here if you would like to read the poem.

Bittersweet- posted in 2001

"The best way to see the sun is to look where it has shined" J.D.A. 2008

photo taken in Naromoru Kenya 2008

ILLUSION - IMMAGINATION, STILLNESS

2009-02-11T20:34:00.000+03:00

This post doesn't make sense at all but am going to post it anyway.. These are some old pictures that I want to preserve...they are not the best pictures you ever saw but they are my pictures, drawings and a painting that I made in high school more than ten years ago so this is a bit of history for me... art is sometimes done for the pleasure of others...am posting these for myself, for my own enjoyment, filling up a few pieces in my own story...if anyone else enjoys them..well..enjoy them

ILLUSION - THE WORLD FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE - 1998

IMMAGINATION - HAWKERS IN TROUBLE - 1995

STILLNESS - JUST SITTING THERE TRYING TO LOOK IMPORTANT - 1996

"..the past is illusion..the future is immagination...practice living in the present thats where reality resides.."

A LITTLE OF THE DARK SIDE

2009-02-09T16:40:00.001+03:00

THE DARK SIDE…some of us have a problem writing when we are happy… all that ever gets written is the darkness… I try to say as much as I can with the fewest words… original Kenyan poetry but from the darker side of things…

SOME ENCOURAGEMENT

Nonsense!
That’s all you write.
It is all Nonsense!
Look at it!
It doesn’t make sense at all
You use so many words
To say so little
And the meaning is lost
In all the words you use
What should have meant one thing...
Now means everything!

It’s all useless!
Why put it down on paper?
Hopeless!
It doesn’t add value to society.
Your poetry is rubbish
Not worth a thing
Take all you’ve written and burn it
The world would be better without it.

James D. Adolwa
27/3/2002
84 Words, 20 Lines

MORE INSPIRATION

You must be seriously disturbed
if you write poetry
People go through these things everyday
yet you keep rolling then around in your head
Get a life
Get ahead
Take alcohol
Or pay for a doctors help
Don’t twist up the tubes
And mash up the stuff in your brain

James D. Adolwa
08/02/2009

MY LIFE MY WRITING

I may not speak much with my mouth
But I’ll talk heaps with my pen
and though you may take it away
My mind will still keep writing within itself
Till the scratching of the pen
on the paper of my mind
will make so much noise inside
that you can’t ignore the sound outside
Then you’ll gag me, and try to silence me
Cuff me to stop me from writing
Shackle me to stop me from moving
But inside you can’t take away
My heart, my life, my passion, my writing

AUTHENTICITY

It is not how you act
But how you are
Not what you have
But who you are
Not where you go
But where that’s home
Not who you meet
But who you’re with.

Not what is temporary
But what endures
Not the journey
But the road you’re on
Not what is imagined
But what is believed
That is what is important…
I think…..

James D. Adolwa
25/1/2002

LUNCH DATE

I talked to the devil
I talked to the devil
On the phone
last night
With a little demon at her side
Chattering all the time

I made a date with the devil
I made a lunch date
On the phone
With the devil last night

We planned to meet after church
Sunday afternoon at ten past one
To have lunch with the devil
Right after Sunday mass.

James D. Adolwa.
27/3/2002
67 words, 16 Lines

POOR

You carry your wealth with you.
Expensive suit, mobile phone, shiny shoes.
But at home, there are torn bed sheets.
In your paddock: no electricity.
On the town, Chief executive – C.E.O.
But at home, you scrape sufurias
With your roommates rats and roaches.
No wonder you never invite
Your many girlfriends home.
You’d rather meet them
In a mkahawa somewhere:
Anywhere but in that kibanda
Poor you!
Wealthy on the town
But a pauper in your house.

James D. Adolwa 29/1/2002

PETTY

The more you try to show
how sated you are
The hungrier you look
The more gadgets you acquire-
The more symbols you possess
Reality shows you have much less

The more you speak
The more you mislead
But your act is not believable though.
If only you were the audience and not the cast
You’d throw your act out fast.

It would be a great thing for you
To find a place that is real
Where you are happy with whom you are
Not what you wish to be.
What you are doing now
Is welcoming guests to
A mansion you haven’t yet built.
Ridiculous! Isn’t it?

James D. Adolwa
25/1/2002

AVERAGE

Just another average clod
Not above
Not below
Not shiny not dull
Just average
Like the colour of soap
Average
Defined by only what it is not
Not excellent
Not poor
Just average

13/12/2001 James D. Adolwa

FREE

You watch a bird fly
And think it’s free!
Damn prisoner of instinct
Mindless robot of nature
Where is the birds’ will?
Where is its resolve?
Where is its freedom?

The bird is bound by chains
Invisible chords of fate
Can a bird change its destiny?
Can a bird decide to alter its lifestyle?
Go against the rules?
Sing a different song
From the one it is programmed to know?

Hopeless slave to monotony.
Can he flap his wings differently?
Poor prisoner bird
When I look at you
I don’t admire you
I just feel sorry for you.

James D. Adolwa
2/5/2002

GOOD

It is good to pick a flower
And not crush it in your hand
Good to find a treasure
And know for sure
That it is worth a tidy sum.
It is nice to have a talent
And know what it can do.
It is good to know your treasure
And to know that that treasure is YOU

James D. Adolwa 29/1/2002

THE DARK SIDE

2009-02-09T16:20:00.001+03:00

THE DARK SIDE…some of us have a problem writing when we are happy… all that ever gets written is the darkness… I try to say as much as I can with the fewest words… original Kenyan poetry but from the darker side of things…

Reverse Psychology/ Some encouragement

Nonsense!
That’s all you write.
It is all Nonsense!
Look at it!
It doesn’t make sense at all
You use so many words
To say so little
And the meaning is lost
In all the words you use
What should have meant one thing...
Now means everything!

It’s all useless!
Why put it down on paper?
Hopeless!
It doesn’t add value to society.
Your poetry is rubbish
Not worth a thing
Take all you’ve written and burn it
The world would be better without it.

James D. Adolwa
27/3/2002
84 Words, 20 Lines

More Inspiration

You must be seriously disturbed
if you write poetry
People go through these things everyday
yet you keep rolling then around in your head
Get a life
Get ahead
Take alcohol
Or pay for a doctors help
Don’t twist up the tubes
And mash up the stuff in your brain

James D. Adolwa
08/02/2009

My life: My writing.

I may not speak much with my mouth
But I’ll talk heaps with my pen
and though you may take it away
My mind will still keep writing within itself
Till the scratching of the pen
on the paper of my mind
will make so much noise inside
that you can’t ignore the sound outside
Then you’ll gag me, and try to silence me
Cuff me to stop me from writing
Shackle me to stop me from moving
But inside you can’t take away
My heart, my life, my passion, my writing

Authenticity

It is not how you act
But how you are
Not what you have
But who you are
Not where you go
But where that’s home
Not who you meet
But who you’re with.

Not what is temporary
But what endures
Not the journey
But the road you’re on
Not what is imagined
But what is believed
That is what is important…
I think…..

James D. Adolwa
25/1/2002

Lunch Date

I talked to the devil
I talked to the devil
On the phone
last night
With a little demon at her side
Chattering all the time

I made a date with the devil
I made a lunch date
On the phone
With the devil last night

We planned to meet after church
Sunday afternoon at ten past one
To have lunch with the devil
Right after Sunday mass.

James D. Adolwa.
27/3/2002
67 words, 16 Lines

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
Poor

James D. Adolwa 29/1/2002

Pulled this off my blog. It was published in Kwani? 6 which was launched on 17th December 2010. So I'd encourage you to get a copy. There is a lot of good stuff (great short stories and poetry) in there.

Click on the link below to read the editorial of Kwani? 6.

Kwani? 06 Editorial

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

Petty
The more you try to show
how sated you are
The hungrier you look
The more gadgets you acquire-
The more symbols you possess
Reality shows you have much less

The more you speak
The more you mislead
But your act is not believable though.
If only you were the audience and not the cast
You’d throw your act out fast.

It would be a great thing for you
To find a place that is real
Where you are happy with whom you are
Not what you wish to be.
What you are doing now
Is welcoming guests to
A mansion you haven’t yet built.
Ridiculous! Isn’t it?

James D. Adolwa
25/1/2002

Average (33 words)

Just another average clod
Not above
Not below
Not shiny not dull
Just average
Like the colour of soap
Average
Defined by only what it is not
Not excellent
Not poor
Just average

13/12/2001 James D. Adolwa

Free

You watch a bird fly
And think it’s free!
Damn prisoner of instinct
Mindless robot of nature
Where is the birds’ will?
Where is its resolve?
Where is its freedom?

The bird is bound by chains
Invisible chords of fate
Can a bird change its destiny?
Can a bird decide to alter its lifestyle?
Go against the rules?
Sing a different song
From the one it is programmed to know?

Hopeless slave to monotony.
Can he flap his wings differently?
Poor prisoner bird
When I look at you
I don’t admire you
I just feel sorry for you.

James D. Adolwa
2/5/2002

Good
It is good to pick a flower
And not crush it in your hand
Good to find a treasure
And know for sure
That it is worth a tidy sum.
It is nice to have a talent
And know what it can do.
It is good to know your treasure
And to know that that treasure is YOU

James D. Adolwa 29/1/2002