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When I stepped out of the plane the first thing that hit me was the hot air blowing gently across the runway, the sweet smell of culture and the dusty aroma in the air filled my nostrils. That's when I knew I have reached home. I could not wait to pass through the endless and tiring security checks I had to go through before being allowed out of the airport. After an excruciating hour which felt like eternity, I was finally allowed to exit the arrivals lounge and into the crowded waiting area where my family stood eagerly waiting to welcome me.
…On his death bed, Baba stared into open air as his sons walked in. it was not as if he had not seen this day coming; he had prepared all his life for such a day, when his sons would come before him and the fruits of his labor would be shared amongst his seed.
He called the eldest son first and motioned for him to kneel by the bed-head. This was the son of his first wife. With his slit eyes and yellow skin, he reminded the old man of his first wife. He had loved her a great deal and she had been good to him. After a silent prayer, he gave his son his inheritance. Being the first of four, he gave him the lands in the East with their beautiful landscape and numerous highlands. He gave him the vastest of his lands as the others looked at each other in dissatisfaction.
As his son tried to get up from his uncomfortable position, he held him down and asked for the box of virtues.
Feb 06, 2011
Dear Friends,
I start this letter with absolute urgency as I fear that I will be with you no more. I have discovered a most dangerous secret that exists amongst us even as we breathe and move in our synonymous human uprightness. As I type, my fingers move before me while I constantly watch behind my back in anxiety. I type because a hand-written letter would not get to the far reaches of our globe. If I had a choice, this would be the last thing I would do as I know more than anyone that my words have reached their eyes as my fingers press on the keypad of my Asus Leatherbook.
I have discovered the most advanced conspiracy in our planet’s history. I have found codes hidden in walls and sand bricks. These codes have been implanted in our minds and our lives and we transmit these messages without even having a clue.
Today’s argument starts with the assumption that I know nothing about women. These tall, short beautiful creatures that smile at us when we do something stupid have eluded even the smartest of all men. So as not to sound dumb by the end of my piece, I will borrow words from the most intelligent men who ever roamed the earth in relation to my topic of reflection. Groucho Marx did say that “anyone who claims to see through women must be missing a lot”.
63.55 percent of the smiling coast was estimated to be below the age of twenty five in the year two thousand and eight (2008) with the majority of these being below 14 years of age. That bracket has grown older over the last two years and it is fair to say that a little over half of these are girls. These statistics will come to play before the end of my argument.
Nov 08, 2010
Two poles stand on the street, a distance from each other. Each outside a Peul shop, each bearing the weight of wires that crisscross the street and head in different directions. Wires that are their only connections to each other. They have discovered each other gradually, the poles. They have explored each other's thoughts from a distance, rough gems that held up to the sunlight have perfect smoothness. How one prefers the twilight hour, when the birds that perched on it during the day now fly home. How it warms it with a satisfaction that cools its cold metal. How the other dreams, of going for walks, of meeting and conversing with other poles. How it yearns for legs, that would carry it, instead of a stump trapped in hard Earth. And placing each other under such scrutiny, the two poles have fallen in love. Over the years, over time, there has grown in each of them a space that only the other can fill.
Oct 08, 2010
You have your Jinay, Old Man Time says, and you have your Religion. Will you not hold on to these? No, Mother Gambia says, and the word falls like a hammer, thundering through the frail air. I am tired of having only these, and nothing else. I am tired of watching my children… And there is a block in her voice, that stops the sound, and her eyes that are cast down on the ground are filled with a wetness, and she cannot continue, she trails off… Old Man Time looks at the ground, and strokes his beard. There is a grave frown on his forehead. When he finally speaks the clearing falls silent, the babble of the brook is muted, the birds no longer sing. Very Well, he says to Mother Gambia. Depart this place now, and go back home. In forty days you will begin to see the changes you desire. Thank you Father, Mother Gambia says (for that is what he was to her, and she his last daughter, his chaat).
Oct 08, 2010
You have your Jinay, Old Man Time says, and you have your Religion. Will you not hold on to these? No, Mother Gambia says, and the word falls like a hammer, thundering through the frail air. I am tired of having only these, and nothing else. I am tired of watching my children… And there is a block in her voice, that stops the sound, and her eyes that are cast down on the ground are filled with a wetness, and she cannot continue, she trails off… Old Man Time looks at the ground, and strokes his beard. There is a grave frown on his forehead. When he finally speaks the clearing falls silent, the babble of the brook is muted, the birds no longer sing. Very Well, he says to Mother Gambia. Depart this place now, and go back home. In forty days you will begin to see the changes you desire. Thank you Father, Mother Gambia says (for that is what he was to her, and she his last daughter, his chaat).
Jul 05, 2010
 Because I hated the halved pita pockets, I went back to the store today to pick up some regular pita bread. This time around, I called prior to making that trip to the supermarket and the gentleman on the other end of the phone assured me they had freshly baked pita in stock.
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