Let me Grow!

Do not pluck me
I am yet to blossom
Do not cut me
I am yet to come home

I see me grownBring forth more petals
Beautiful in colors
With more admirers

Growth brings thorns
So u say to me
You have so many worries
listen to me

The older the berry
The sweeter the juice

Run !

Run
The smiles,the winks
The hundreds, the thousands
The shops, the bags

Run
Sweet promises
Timely deliveries
Shoes and bags

Run
Timely romances
Short-lived passions
The touches, the squeezes

Run..............

Run .............

Run..............

Her days!

Those cold nights
With no blanket to keep her warm
Those ruthless nights
Without a soul to console her
Those too long nights
With no shoulder to cry upon
Those sleepless nights
Have made her carry on


Those hot days
Without a shade to hide under
Those cruel days
Filled with rain and thunder
Those helpless days
With miles of walks to cover
Have made her carry on

Shameful days
with a conscious to bury
fateful days
Came and go with no hurry
Days ooh days
Have made her carry on

Arise!

Arise!
The daughter of the land
The pride of the clan
The forgotten one
Arise

Walked upon
like a doormat ...on the rainy season
Arise
Shake of the dust
You have to walk high
Arise

Beaten to a pulp...eyes swollen
Hope lost...mist forming
Arise

Babu's Touch

Sitting there, next to him
In silence
Holding hands, listening to the sounds of us breathing, his being heavier
In silence

Trying to detect his feelings, maybe what he would have said to me
If he was to say anything
And there it was
Peace, peace found through pain
His breathing got louder
And I hold in my breath, look at his face
I see what I saw earlier..peace
Only through God this kind of peace can be found
I look at him and say
Look here grandpa!
It is raining outside
And he smiles and his gripping on my hand increased
Isn't that beautiful, how we can all find joy through what we always take for granted
When every little thing, even a simple taking in of breath is a struggle
But someone still hold on and manage a smile, that's strength..strength and hope
It takes courage too And we all have it now
And everytime I walk out as i am doing now I feel so alive, strong and hopeful
Isn't that what he would want us all to be

Dad's Broken Hearted Girl

As i sat there staring into the room
tears kept flowing
Like the Mount Kilimanjaro rivers during rainy season
They streamed down
I have been trying so hard not to cry
so hard, very hard
But the hot tears have swollen the inside of my eyes
Welled up to form little hot pools inside
burning them that they cannot hold on anymore
And they just let them go
Let them flow vigorously down my cheeks
Burn them a bit..they are tender cheeks

Just when i thought everything was falling in place
Don't we all have a plan?
And all over a sudden it all disappears
just like the snow at the sight of the sun
Some people say destiny takes it course
But i do not believe in that now
Destiny was to be on my side now

I have tried so hard to be good...God knows i have
You don't know how you spear my heart
You just cut through that tender spot i so dearly kept for you
And as you tear me apart you loose one of your parts
i always loved you the most
And see what you have done to that love
Put it on the line of fire
Shame...ooh what a shame

You know what they say about a girl's first love
And you really are
A hero i saw when you swept across the compound
Ooh...didn't you know?
You were the tallest man I knew..
I would run to you as fast as my little girl legs could carry me
So that you could swing me on your shoulders
Let me see the world from there
The horizon of my life from up there
And grandma will cry out....Ooh this poor little thing
She will break those legs one of these days with all that running

And i thought i will always be on your shoulders
Expectations
I looked up to you
And now
No man can ever break my heart.
Should i be thankful for that?
My first love took that away

No love lost

My mind kept wondering
And all i could find were empty spaces
and i journeyed into my present
isn't this what i feared the most?
life without love
Not just any love
love from that one person.
And how could i not blame me,
me for just being me
always questioning, checking and checking again
What a nuisance!
Am I wrong though?
who doesn't nowadays
Only that i am loud about it
Too loud actually
And finally i ask myself
Was the love even there
Why then did i have to check

So again i went into the empty spaces
And now even emptier
No nothing...no love
Just some imagined fantasies
And we both know what that is
We cannot expect love, love from he who doesn't love himself
Too much to ask for

So i arise from my sorrows
Wash my face, just to be sure
Get out of the room
Feel the wind on my cheeks
As i start walking down the street
I start living again
No love lost

Anabahati Mlay