And Monday goes to Rilke

...
Then suddenly you’re left all alone
with your body that can’t love you
and your will that can’t save you.

But now, like a whispering in dark streets,
rumours of God run through your dark blood.” 


- Rainer Maria Rilke, Rilke's Book of Hours: Love Poems to God

Haiku

Venus lies bleeding
Bludgeoned by the force of love
Her heart beats faintly

Where's the beauty in the breakdown?

Imogen Heap has articulated the theme of the week in two songs. "Let Go" by Frou Frou and "Hide and Seek." I'm internalizing and decoding meaning. What I'm learning leaves me afraid that the world I live in is filled with people who hate and people who don't understand themselves, each other or me. Worse than that, I'm afraid it's filled with people who don't care. About themselves, each other or me.

"Hide And Seek"

Where are we? What the hell is going on?
The dust has only just begun to fall,
Crop circles in the carpet, sinking, feeling.
Spin me 'round again and rub my eyes.
This can't be happening.
When busy streets amass with people
Would stop to hold their heads heavy.

Hide and seek.
Trains and sewing machines.
All those years they were here first.

Oily marks appear on walls
Where pleasure moments hung before.
The takeover, the sweeping insensitivity of this still life.

Hide and seek.
Trains and sewing machines. (Oh, you won't catch me around here)
Blood and tears,
They were here first.

Mmm, what you say?
Mm, that you only meant well? Well, of course you did.
Mmm, what you say?
Mm, that it's all for the best? Of course it is.
Mmm, what you say?
Mm, that it's just what we need? And you decided this.
What you say?
Mmm, what did you say?

Ransom notes keep falling out your mouth.
Mid-sweet talk, newspaper word cut-outs.
Speak no feeling, no I don't believe you.
You don't care a bit. You don't care a bit.

(hide and seek)
Ransom notes keep falling out your mouth.
Mid-sweet talk, newspaper word cut-outs.
(hide and seek)
Speak no feeling, no I don't believe you.
You don't care a bit. You don't care a bit.

(hide and seek)
You don't care a bit.
You don't care a bit.
You don't care a bit.
(hide and seek)
You don't care a bit.
You don't care a bit.

- Imogen Heap

Why we're petitioning the Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa

Image source: www.realtimesmedia.com

I can't say I don't get it. A plane disappearing with more than two hundred people on board captures the imagination and conjures up images of scenes not unlike Life of Pi or an episode of Lost. It's mystery. It's sexy. More than two hundred girls from Chibok on the other hand... Where? Chibok. Nigeria. Oh.  It's Africa's biggest economy. Okay. I know. It's not so sexy.  Not a lot of mystery to capture our imaginations either:

1. These girls are of reproductive age. The African girl child at the best of times does not have adequate resources for sanitary ware and access to hygienic facilities to manage menstruation with dignity. It is unlikely that these girls are being kept in a pristine environment in the weeks that they've been gone. Things are probably getting really uncomfortable and really messy.
2. Boko Haram is allegedly trafficking them to be sex slaves. At $12 a pop even the most broke of the underworld's paedophilic sociopaths can help himself to some fine pickings.
3. Forced sex is usually unprotected. So we're looking at exposure to some of our regular garden variety STIs such as you know HIV, gonorrhea and of course ye olde syphilis! And because forced sex involves at least one very unwilling partner and because paedophiles are insane it can get very violent leaving victims with a little gem of a gift called fistula. Look it up. It's not pretty.

Violence against women is at epidemic proportions on this continent. The African woman is under attack and in my view the African girl child is the least valued person on Earth. Sign this petition. It's not going to Pretoria with a handful of signatories because the people I know are better than that. We refuse to be on the wrong side of history on this issue i.e. the side that did nothing.

Click here to sign the petition to Nigeria to step up efforts to get those girls back.

Basically, this is about love. This is about leading with love. This is about loving these young ladies and wanting the best for them. It's about putting out the energy of our love into the universe and sending it their way so that if there is a little girl who is curled up in some corner of some forest, shaking with fear and wondering if anyone cares, our love will ignite a spark of hope inside her. Hold on. Someone cares. This too shall pass. You will survive.

El fuego y el frío

You are

Like the scent of summer rain,
Like tears stinging my eyes.
Dry, cracked lips whisper
Into the empty silence,
"Set me free."
You who are my truth,
You who are the dull ache
In my head,
And the soft thud 

Of my heart,
Just like the rain, 

Cool on my skin,
Like smoldering coals

Under my feet,
You are hot and cold.
You are yes' s and no's,
Stops and go's.
Trace your fingertips along the scars
On my body and they all lead back
To you.

© Sandisile Tshuma 2014

Dancing in the water with Avicii

January comes with the usual promises to self to exercise more. This year I've had no trouble making good on my commitment thanks to my partners in sound, Avicii. Their album True is an absolute joy to work out to and besides the highly publicized hits like Wake Me Up and You Make Me I am totally loving tracks like Liar, Liar and Dear Boy. They provide the exact level of subliminal distraction necessary for physically getting in the zone and staying there.

P.S. I highly recommend swimming to those who, like me are allergic to sweat inducing exertion. Also, it takes care of your strength training and cardio needs in one fell swoop so you can quickly get it over with and go do something fun with your precious free time like reading a book or watching Grey's Anatomy.

The dream of the third attention