Oyile Javan

 Smoke a joint, get high Life won't wait ,time flies Mine only first class Live 24 Like Bauer Drink up to the days you are alive Embrace the suck, in hell week Cutting the elephant in the room A  bite at a time Dying to live another day.

 On a trip to Tunis,Tunisia,a friend got the shock of his life to see the ladies on the beach in bikinis,their hair let down.His brain's preconcieved notion of a muslim society with buqqas spanning the horizon was immedietly deleted.Mention any arab country and your minds eye jumps to unverified conclusions that have been implanted in your mind through the media platforms you've been exposed to throughout your life.We have been modelled to have expectations on how certain people should appear,think and even talk. Now shift your mind to a country in East Africa,upon touch down,what are your expectations say when you land in Zanzibar?Do you expect general acceptance or suspicion?Personally I am more interested in the culture and the scenery,not to suggest that I am not interested in the people,having already developed what is said to bee a ''thick skin'',I rarely mind what people think of me,even Jesus was rejected so whom am I?But the general psychology of the  h...

 Friend, You want me to live up to your expectations Of  I.G filters Happy pictures Miserable life Enjoying gate-crashed buffets And posting fake backgrounds Living large online Drowning in tumblers of Irish whisky Sacrificial lambs,my dawn and  dusk   I'd rather be a loafer Than a fake baller Coz I don't wanna occupy my grave This early.

  The earth is fair Always striking a balance Between good and bad  Happy and sad Some come early Some come late  It is our duty of care To be patient In the right moment When it is our time It will come If it is your time It doesn't matter Even if buried,six feet under It shall still come If it is not Even  if a smile away It still won't happen For everything is finite In this ephemeral world.

 Recently a story ran of a young girl who paid the ultimate price after she was bullied on her first day at junior high.Regardless  the jury is out some claiming that this girl should have developed a "thick skin". Different people deal with issues differently.From Naomi Osaka to Alex Tuanzebe.From the online streets to the urban concrete jungles that we stay in.''This earth is so hard'',they say.Stay woke or get broke are some of the life slogans online we've had to adapt.Bullies are better insured of course masked behind a screen,they can say whatever mean thing they want to say.This feels like ten times more of what some of us associate bullying with.For us bullying was only associated with high school when a senior might have had expectations from you as a junior  with stuff like fetching water or doing his laundry.But it seems we have to accept that being bullied is part of the modern life,it has metastasized and  spread on all frontiers. My only plea...

 Lately I have been reading a lot of Malcolm Gladwell and Robert Greene's literature. The major focus of these artists' work is human behavior with a major focus on established notions and misconceptions about human nature. We are living in a fast paced world full of 'disruptions' but the underlying principles of humanity remain the same, conformity as the baseline. Greene and Gladwell however, remind us that we are still ''animals'' and as much as we try to tame ourselves with the rules and prescriptions, the animal within will find a way out. I once had a friend who opened up to me about her childhood. At a certain point in time for reasons I won't disclose the family separated, she could stay with only one parent at a time. This according to her brought a lot of detachment and attachment from one of the parents each time. Eventually she chose to stick with one parent until she became a young adult. The above scenario paints a picture of a particul...

 She came to my house on Friday Eager to impress I took her to Hilton She ordered a glass of Sauvignon Blanc Upon reaching the house she ordered lamb chops on ubereats I ran around like a madman A true son of the soil On my best behaviour Just to make her feel at home After her favorite soap opera We went to sleep ''It is that time of the month'',she said My hopes were dashed  Crashed I felt like throwing her out But the gentleman in me wouldn't allow Now as I sit,an open letter I script Daughter of Eve I am no Jesus Christ Neither am I a philanthropist Relationship is about give and take I can't turn water into wine That is my blood,sweat and tears You are parasiting upon That only awakens the demons in me When I feel you are taking advantage of me.

 I am a troubled soul Following a sturbonly persistent illussion Called life No logic on my part Just cutting deals with my demons I am a troubled soul That chats its own course So don't bring me me your lemons Coz am gonna cut e'm And squeeze e'm in your guilty eyes I take no prisoners Coz I am a loner Take my sense and make money out of it.

 I'd rather be an unsung hero Than a war hero I'd rather be praised by the silent majority Than by the simple majority I'd rather die hungry on my feet Than wine and dine on my knees I'd rather spend 10,000 hours perfecting Than 10 seconds psychophanting I'd rather fight for my rights on the streets Than in the hallways and corridors of fame I'd rather post anonymous Than have a gazillion followers I'd rather fight as a lone ranger Than depend on them pledgers I'd rather make 10,000 mistakes Than be the perfect role  model I'd rather ruin my reputation Than wallow in repudiation For the world is full Full of cowards Full of fools Full of morons And errors But the world is also full of beauty All we got to do is open our eyes To this, Endless possibilities.

 You overcharge my cab fare Not  minding that it is not fair You speak ill behind my back Yet you expect my kind heart To pay  back Pretending not to  hurt With an ear to ear smile Because I am a foreigner You mind all my business Expecting me to give you business No privacy policy at my house Because you are better than  CCTV I am sick and tired of your espionage I no longer give a hoot of what you think of me After all the world is what it is And I am whom I am.

 So you say you are tired of seeing me Wandering around Like the dog in Kivulu That I should "settle down" I know what you mean My goal has always been To be happily married Inshallah! Not to get married So my friend We from the bush Live from our hearts Not our brains So stop nagging And let me be!

Yes I know   My skin is black  My shoulders broad  My chest wide  My lips wide  My hair kinky   So don't remind me  With your blank stares   And  rude gestures  Did I ask you to grade me?  Did I ask you to degrade me?  Did I ask you to berate me?   You may think that white is gold  But I am the cradle to your kind  Without me you are nothing   My gold in your central bank  My silicon in your chips   My coltan in your phones My artefacts in your museums  Then you look down upon me?  Ignorance is bliss they say  Without me you are NOTHING!

Recently I attended an interview, the panel was all African, not that I am an African supremacist but my hopes were high on steroids. I had the papers and experience. My opposite number was a white backpacker on tour. I was wrong. Things took a turn for the worst when I was made to wait outside the interviewing room. ‘’What are we waiting for?’’ I asked the lady.”Ouh, just be patient, ‘’she answered. It would be worth noting that coincidentally,top on my reading list that week was Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah. Minutes later the white boy arrived (let the hunger games begin) the lady who had ushered me in the makeshift lobby ran as hell towards the boy (poor thing).”We have been waiting for you,” she said. Schmoozing and acting all nice like she had just come into contact with a V.I.P of some sort. I wondered if I was say in Brussels, Copenhagen or London for that matter and was the only black interviewee in the room would I be accorded the same priority? My hopes fell knowin...