I may be hooked on kush
my body bruised and worn
wandering the streets of Freetown
but I’m a Sierra Leonean too.
I may not pay my taxes
can’t even clean a gutter
but this land is still my home
I’m a Sierra Leonean too.
I may not make decisions to sell state companies
or pass laws for pregnant girls in school
but I carry this country’s name
I’m a Sierra Leonean too.
So if I don’t snatch your phone
don’t break the locks to your home
reach for me, teach me to see
there’s more to life than kush alone.
Sierra had a tiger in the kitchen
A raccoon lived in her sink
Her arms were always itching
Mite-infested, a heavy bumpy pink
She was allergic to her pets and pests
But they still slept in their cozy nests
Brutus, an orangutan was a character
He ate her marmalade with intentions pure
Sydney her rat snake often slept on her head
I always tiptoed softly when I got to her bed
She had chimps, horses and giraffes in her house
Spiders, vampire bats, a beetle and one mouse
Sierra had formerly had many rats in the past
But not anymore because they multiply so fast
Does she have bunnies? A friend asked me.
Last I heard, she was up to one hundred and three.
When dark shadows of war fell
And cries of anguish rang like bells
Streets stained, the skies of Sierra Leone torn
The hope of this nation was lost and gone.
Through those dark clouds, a light arose
A force for peace, worries deposed
ECOMOG came with a mission crystal as clear
To drive away the reign of fear.
Through jungle paths and smelly streets
They battled on, defying defeat
With every step and with every stand
They stitched together a broken land
This is the power of unity, you see—
An African brother lifting another free.
One finger alone can't lift a stone;
It takes a union to build a home.
Kush is both a lover and a monster
Capturing the hearts of our youth.
Its eyes, as deep as the night and bright as stars
Hold secrets of passion and unspoken truths.
With a touch that sends shivers down the spine
It suffocates the soul into delirium.
Its voice, a haunting melody
Whispers promises and fears alike—a lullaby of sweet agony.
Draped in a velvet cloak of desire
It prowls the landscapes of dreams
Leaving traces of warmth and damage
And claw marks of yearning on Sierra Leonean youth.
This creature, born from the wild storms of the heart
Is a keeper of boundless affection
A distributor of heartache
A beast of love that devours our youth.
O Sierra Loa, the mountain of lions
A land of thy free, O native land.
A symbol of God's majestic hand
A nation so small yet peaceful and grand.
Beneath your ever clear sky
Merry mountains and gay valleys lie.
Home to air that touches hearts far and wide.
For you my song and hymns will always bide.
Your rivers, your vast and wide seas
As blue as the eyes of lion mountains
Flow like the taps of royal fountains.
The beauty of you my eyes will always see.
Oh native land, my home, my heart
In you I found the courage since the very start
To wave through the storms of our gloomy past.
The love in you, o native land, all my worries I cast.
He ran to the mountain.
They were arguing again.
This time it rained
warm, covering him
the way she should have
but yelled instead
at father.
When the steam stopped
rising from the ground
and the sun’s bleed
lessened
he walked back
past the tire shop
the old dog barked at him
and then stopped.
He came in the back door.
She had made tamales
and he was eating
quietly by himself-
The battle over.
He sat and ate too
and saw his future-
The mountain, the rain
the mist, the steam
And the silence
that comes after.
In the forest, where shadows play,
An orchestra of life, in the light of day.
Leaves whisper secrets in the gentle breeze,
Nature's song, among the swaying trees.
Lush green meadows, where flowers sway,
Painting the landscape in colors gay.
Birds in flight, their melodies sung,
Nature's beauty, forever young.
Mountains tall, touching the sky,
Guardians of the land, standing high.
Rivers flow, carving their own way,
A journey of time, with each passing day.
Sunset hues, painting the horizon bright,
A masterpiece of colors, a breathtaking sight.
Stars above, shining so bright,
Guiding us through the darkest night.
Nature's beauty, a treasure so dear,
A wonderland for us to be near.
In its embrace, we find our place,
A part of the world, in awe and grace.
The gifts of nature, so pure and clear.
For in its magic, we find our true home,
In the wild wonderland, Sierra Nevadas where I roam.
We harboured a dream
Believing freedom would bring us joy
We sought to liberate ourselves
From the shackles of colonial reign
Freedom arrived, vast and unrestrained
To our prayers God answered
"So help me God, so help me God,"
He endowed us with the spirit to persevere.
He fortified us to navigate
Through civil strife and turmoil
We triumphed over Ebola, COVID we defeated
Yet, why do we lament over Kush?
Where did we go wrong?
How did we evolve into a fractured nation
Polarized in beliefs and thoughts—
What happened to the melody of our anthem?
Where is the love we pledge?
Do we still serve her faithfully?
Bad, worse and worst we grow, oh poor Sierra Leoneans
We seem to know our rights, but honestly we do not;
Instead we misunderstand them:
How can we fight for our rights against one who defends them?
Our situation is escalating to its peak.
We are damn harming ourselves, and not the upright man!
How folly is this thought:
To wander about the street in the name of demonstration?
For I tell you: we are destroying our little development.
If ethics would permit me to speak,
We are not prudent to do such!
And you, Mr. upright man,
You ought to patronage your people
In their impediments and hardship;
And not to add to their problems.
Uniform men, control your frigging weapons!
You were not employed to murder
But to defend and secure.
In all, we are all guilty—
None is exempt!
Let us be mindful about our country's future.
It’s like the Battle of Britain he moans
I can’t survive this bombardment he groans
And then he said Sh*t
That’s a direct hit
What kind of numpty films fireworks with drones
5 November is Guy Fawkes day in the UK in celebration of
Mr Fawkes and associates trying to blow up the Houses
of Parliament. Some would say he should have succeeded.
I almost lost you in July
I'm glad you're here
If you do not return
I don't know what I do
Felt so empty
Without you near .
My heart could not bear
The thought of losing
You my friend .
Anxiety kicks in
As the days go by
I cried my self to sleep
Every night
I did
Pray for a safe return
And God answered
Three months later
our adventure begins again
It's like if I was cured.
And answering my smile reappeared.
I pause to listen to the silence –
I am one with the million befores
and the afters and at great peace
amid the soundless, immense harmonies.
I become the rhythm of the spheres
and part of that oneness orchestration,
both absorbed and apart in a light,
too orderly to be but blind chance.
There must be purpose to the whole
that transcends reason and goes beyond
the despair of nothing. I become the Cosmos
not the chaos and within I am part.
There is a miracle to existence
and its exquisite, ephemeral beauty.
To hike to Garnet Lake is to be without,
wherein, without, I find my within.
Oh my Sierra Leone!
The only land that I own,
I pledge to thee, to bring peace, love, development and unity,
Sadly I act for my interest without any loyalty.
I betray each and every promise to thee I made,
Skinning thy people whom I opted to aid.
I know even though you are independent, but thou dependth on me,
To lead thee to freedom, unity and prosperity.
Each and every day my act caused thee to bleed
I feed thee with hunger, nurture in thee my very corrupt seed.
Shamelessly I speak of my love for thee,
When thine legs I cut, thine eyes blind so thou cannot see.
Even though I pledged to serve thee at all time,
I made thee my servant, serving me at thine prime
I put my interest above yours,
Betraying thy love and trust.
Indigo clouds edged with topaz hues
Stretched thin with an ivory crescent moon
Frogs serenade an evening promenade
Crickets sing while a lone wolf bays
Stars Cascade in galaxies far away
Old trees crack as north winds sway
Trickling streams ripples and fluently flow
Fireflies dance with an effervescent glow
Train whistle bellows the engine roars
Thunder in the distance
The blackbird soars
Lightning illuminates the clear night sky
Tumbleweeds crackle
Cactus cry
The days first light peeks over the horizon
A new day has dawned
Quite surprising
i will miss sierra vista
but not the people
i will miss the purple peaks
and the heavy hikes to them
looking at a sprawling sunrise
while im lying wide awake
i will miss sierra vista
but not he people
cause all the good guys
that i like
are leaving with me
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