Monday, February 8, 2016

Carry Your Own Sunshine!

Some day you will wake up
Source: Google Images
And the skies will be grey
The horizons will be dark
Carry your own sunshine

Some day you will wake up
And the air will be wet
The earth will be muddy
Carry your own weather

Some day you will wake up
And the sun will scotch hot
The air will be humid
Carry your own weather

Some day you will shiver to the core
And the clad will be heavy
The rain will be much
And the paths impassable
Carry your own weather.

Some day you will wake up
And things will not go the way you want
And in that day,
Carry your own weather!


Thursday, February 4, 2016

Regrets

I regret burning all my bridges
But now I know
That is water under the bridge
And now I know how to swim.
Google Image

I regret closing those doors
But now I know
That is key to future opportunities
To open up new realities.
I regret leaving them behind
But now I know
Speed guarantees no success
And staying together is staying ahead
I regret shying away
But now I know
There is no glory in not trying
Doing is the highway to greatness
I regret not regretting earlier
But now I know
The journey is the lesson
Experience is wisdom for tomorrow
And now I regret no more
For my regrets have brought me here
A place of great learnings
A place of teaching others. 
-Munuhe

Doing Right

Doing the right thing in this country, Kenya
Has become the most difficult thing to do.
I just wonder
Who can bear the pain of doing things right
Who can afford the cost of doing the right thing?
The one who choses not to bribe a police officer
For offences he has not committed
Suffers more than he who extends his hands
And buys himself freedom
“Kijana, ongea vizuri shida ikuondokee”
His charges will be altered
His days will be wasted
He will be required to admit an error he didn’t commit
And if he remains truthful he suffers some much more
An SME lady seeking to get her business licensed
Will meet a list of unamountable demands for her food joint
“Hauna running water na drainage hapa ni mbaya”
It would have been cheaper to compromise the officer
Than to take the highway of doing things right
And consume most of her meager capital
A child following her dream will easily be criticized
By her teaching parents than he who follows money
“Dad I wanna be a poet”
“Ushawahi ona poet billionaire?”
It would be easier for her to go do Med for her dad
Then later pay a bigger cost to keep her dream alive
A young man will meet a girl and honor her proper
Instead of taking the matters in his own hands
He chooses to honor the parents and the community
But the harassment and the scorn he will meet
I wonder if he can bear it all
All he wants is parental blessings
“Leta two million, tank ya maji na debe ya asali”
The one who took a girl, made her pregnant and
Then appears to the community with some children
Will be celebrated for being a hero
The minister of the gospel who speaks the truth
Will be persecuted by the same congregation
He is trying to serve.
It would be easier to lie, exaggerate and manipulate
“Mungu amesema mwaka huu utakuwa millionaire”
And a throng of humanity will flock his church
The truth hurts and hurting people is not welcome
Not in this country
A leader who is genuinely following his call
To make a difference in his community
Will be ignored and dismissed
“Kama hanunui leso simchagui”
It would be easier to rain some fifties
And hundreds to the wasted populace
And when he gets into power
Make their lives even worse
I just wonder
Who can bear the pain of doing things right
Who can afford the cost of doing the right thing?
-Munuhe

Monday, February 1, 2016

Contentment

Google Image
No matter what your station in life,
It can feel like the opposite would be better. 
Singles long for marriage
Married’s long for the freedom of singleness.
Childless couples want kids 
Veteran parents look forward to the empty nest.
Poorer people want more money,
Richer people consider trading down to a modest paycheck.
Those eating roasted meat daily
Long to go green with some kales.
While those on the greens want some meat.
Students long to clear school
And a hustler on the streets wishes he could return to school.
Someone driving longs to walk out of the crazy traffic
And one walking admires those stuck in their automobiles
What can a human do?

No matter what your station in life
Be present in the moment
And learn that contentment,
Contentment is not just living under the sun
Contentment is living under God.