Just imagine how it could be - Obama Dancing with Palin!

Just imagine how it could be - Obama Dancing with Palin!

Got this from my fellow blogger - http://tenacioustess.blogspot.com/ -- nice one TenaciousTess!

Struggle

© Stani, All rights reserved

So much of the struggle I see around today, gives me a cause for sadness. We seem always to want to lord it over ourselves. That is why, our leaders never seem to get things right. We prioritise where we are not supposed to.

Some of the best brains of my nation cannot get a job in their own country because some bloke wants his cousin or girlfriend, etc, to get that position. So imbeciles are grooming imbeciles like themselves to make policies, what it all leads to is confusion. How can a blind man lead a blind man?

The struggle is not even concetrated in one's nation alone. I read the other day about a guy in the UK who was attacked for wearing an Obama t-shirt, probably a racist attack, who knows? The most pertinent question here is, why can't I wear whatever I want to wear, without being afraid of some skinhead who has nothing better to do than to think of the superiority of his/her race? Crazy world, man, very crazy!

Here is a little poem about it all:

Struggle

So many around me
rolling with me
yet never felt so alone
all false smiles

Judged for perceived imperfections
Never recognised for abilities
better than theirs
craziness everywhere.

Prejudice
repression
abuse
frustration.

In the mood to vent my spleen!

This little article caught my attention the other day, about a pastor who sold his landlords house to a member of his congregation! http://odili.net/news/source/2008/oct/4/801.html

Reading the story at first, I could not help laughing but I then got to thinking, 'When will Nigerians overcome this mentality of subservience to their pastors? When will Nigerians come to realize that, today, worshiping God does should not have anything to do with some so-called pastors who have so tainted the truth that we do not know what it is anymore?' Sadly, it occurred to me that the answer to all of the above is 'NEVER'.

A long time ago, I came to the realization that these pastors are nothing but treasure seekers (ok, maybe not all of them but....). With the sad state of Nigerian affairs, it occurred to some sharp thinking individuals that a quick, 100% legit way of making the fast buck, would be to become pastors. They were, and are, not wrong about this. Look at the sheep (ewu) in question - a 150 million or more Nigerians, majority of whom are gullible, timid, fearful, etc, etc. They are still addicted to that age-old opium of the masses - religion.

So you talk to the average, suffering man on the street and you will invariably get the popular mantra that has been on their lips since the inception of the state called Nigeria - 'e go better, God dey'. Na so o! Of course god dey, but I refuse to believe God will come down and set things right for us without our rasing a finger to help in any way.

The so-called pastors are not helping issues. Everywhere you go, it is the same story, ' Give God all you have, don't worry prosperity is just around the corner, give and it will multiply a thousand-fold'. So we continue to give, even if it is not there, just because we believe. It is time to realise that because of our belief we have been taken for a serious ride, a ride to enrich the pockets of some unscrupulous rogues.

I travelled to naija sometime last year and my broda invited me to his church, one of these new-generation churches. I was reluctant to go since I used to go to this church and left after a couple of months when I realised that they did not really know what they were on about, but out of respect for my senior bro, I went.

Now before anything can happen in this church, you need to purchase the monthly booklet which the pastor publishes. So an assistant pastor got up and said the reading for today was from this booklet, then jijingbangban come start! 'How many of you in this church have this booklet? If you have it, raise it up and shout alleluia! Oh! I can see a lot of you without this. What! How can you be here and you don't have this, that is terrible, you must have this booklet, you must, Do not tell me you do not have 150 naira to this o! that means the you do not believe int he God we serve. Dip your hands into your pockets buy this booklet, ushers go from aisle to aisle and make sure everybody has this.'

Frankly, I felt a bit overwhelmed by all these. I mean, come on, majority of the people there have only that 150 naira, but I could see some sort of frenzy in the air. ' Ah! This booklet, we get to buy am o! Ah! pastor go vex o!' Crap! Utter Crap! What happened to the Bible? If pastor's words in the booklet are based on the based, then what is the essence of this booklet which is a great revenue generator for the church? On this same day, some pastor in this church got up and was saying, ' you young men, I can see a lot of you without any suit on. from now on, you must wear a suit to the church.' Shuo! What if these guys have no money to buy the suit? What if they have to go and steal before they can get that suit? Pastor care? For where! Pastor is after only one thing - lucre, and he will do or say anything to make sure he gets it from you, whether you like it or not.

So I look at all this and I see a lot of suffering around, yet these pastors cannot even tell it like it is. They cannot even tell the masses that it is time to rise up as one and hold the imbeciles in government to account. I look around, I see a lot of these pastors wielding so much power over these people and yet using it wrongly. All they want are the trappings of wealth and damn the rest. They cannot even profer possible solutions like I did in this post.

Ah! I don't know, I just don't know. Everyday, same old circle, since indepence, same old mantra, ' e go better, God dey'.

Madness within

© Stani, All rights reserved

Reflecting on the turmoils that sometimes besets me, us, everyone! There are times when we face this darkness that is just so pervading that we do not know how to carry on, but somehow, with God, we find a way through it all. Well, for some of you, who don't believe in God, somehow, inexplicably, you come through it. If not by God's grace, then how? Well who knows really? Here is a little write on it anyhow:


Lost in darkness
trapped in madness
searching for light within
looking in vain.

Everywhere
destruction
oppression
repression.


Little ones
all innocence
no thoughts for the
morrow.

Look into the abyss
blackness all around
dejection
hopelessness.

What constructive criticism will get you!

I submitted this peom for some some constructive critique and did I get my poem slashed and torn apart! I was encouraged particularly by a bloke going by the pseudonym, Bythesea. Here is what he had to say about my write:

Here is what I wrote:

© Stani, All rights reserved

A world held in the throes of darkness
a world looking for a way out of
the quagmire of destruction
that besets it.

The struggle within
has been intense.
Struggle evokes memories
of a life that once was pure.

Everywhere we had turned to
we saw destruction.
We saw oppression, repression
no way out of the clutches of evil.

In our innocence
we thought
safety,
joy.

We looked at our little ones,
innocence personified.
Who will be there for them
when we are gone?

Dark thoughts
swirling in our minds
in a world gone dark
with sorrow, with hopelessness.

Now out of the darkness
comes a herald
bringing a message
of hope, of light!

At first it looks like a
mirage,
apparition,
deception.

Look further
look within
find that strength
to fight off clutches of darkness.

Fight it off, for,
hope is here at last
the light is coming
prepare to meet the light!

The Light of the universe comes
bringing with it
joy, peace,
truth and love.

Now we shall have the last laugh.
We shall look into the abyss
yes, even step into it and
we shall emerge victorious.

We shall stare straight into the
eyes of the dark ones
we shall shine the light into their eyes
we shall bring hope to them.

Oh! Joy!
The Light! Sweet light is coming!
Prepare!
Prepare!
**

Here is the critique:

I question-- but kindly and lightly-- why the hourglass
figure? Why draw attention to a poem when attention
ought be drawn away?

I will list phrases that ought not, ever, grace a line of
poetry again in this lifetime-- and a few hours into eternity.

throes of darkness
quagmire of destruction
life thaat once was pure
clutches of evil
innocence personified
prepare to meet the light
dark thoughts swirling in our minds
message of hope, of light
peace, joy, truth and love
emerge victorious

and the rest.

All here is good evangelical, pentacostalism-- lessons that scream
their value if one's belief lies in such, but please do it in prose, not
in a poem. Allow these woeful warnings (George Fox-- "Woe to the
city of Lichfield!") to come in prose.

Poetry requires CONCRETE details which correlate to abstractions.

When I read 'throes of darkness,' I poured myself a shot of Bushmills
Irish whiskey, drank it and then went out and bashed my face against
the lamp post just outside my study, then I injected Nexium in my
left eyeball.

However, I will rescind this reply if you can tell me what 'a throe of dark-
ness' is, or a 'clutch of evil.' What is evil? And when is evil clutching?
**

A world held in the throes of darkness
a world looking for a way out of
the quagmire of destruction
that besets it.
**
How it might have been written ...
how it all would end,
how it all would go.

***
They said the bulb would last and light
my way to the sink, to drink-- and I
a Kansas City housewife standing
in the doorway of destructions and eruptions
and corruptions-- on Doomsday.

Is everyone safe?
Does everyone have a place to hide?

Then I sent the children out to play ...

##
bythesea

http://www.splashhall.org/poetry_forums/index.php/topic,14202.0.html

There you go, you go looking for it, you will get more than you bargained for:

When I read 'throes of darkness,' I poured myself a shot of Bushmills
Irish whiskey, drank it and then went out and bashed my face against
the lamp post just outside my study, then I injected Nexium in my
left eyeball.

Arsenal Vlog: EPL - Sunderland v Arsenal

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