From Sparks to Stories

  Well, they say teaching is a calling but why lie, I really didn’t hear that calling till when I got into this field. At first there were a lot of questions that revolved around me being a teacher. But right now, when they say teaching is a calling, I can sure attest to that. One thing I have got to learn is that being a teacher calls for a lot of things, but one thing that will always stand out is patience. This is one thing you must posses or at least, learn to possess. This is actually my first time to teach and it comes with a title that I proudly hold onto: mwalimu. I am posted to a Girl’s school as a young lad, only 22 years old, to teach girls whom I am slightly older than. Getting to teach in a national school is one thing, getting to teach in a girl’s school is another. It is my first day and one thing that seems to scare me is the fact that I am supposed to maintain the highest level of professionalism in such an environment. But anyway, what doesn’t kill you?... ...

  Hey addiction, It’s high time we have a talk, I don’t know how fast our relationship happened, Or why it happened, Jumping from higher heights to deeper depths, But I can feel myself fall, And just before I lose it all, Let’s talk. I know I chose you over those pills and rope, Because I felt you promised me hope, We both understand you were never my first choice, But still, I chose you, You hid me from all those emotional wounds, Kept me blinded to reality, I loved the way you kept my pain at bay, You kept me distracted, Enough of putting the delusion around, Profound because I was a wreckage, Taught me to keep my eyes off the bleeding, So I did. I grew so free to lock myself, In your so familiar chains, You were always a faithful friend, There for me when I needed you, But always there even when I didn’t, Never understood who I really I was, Because I was so convinced I was somebody else altogether, So thank you because you did take my pain away, B...

  Let’s face it, you put up with a lot more bad behavior from relatives than you should. Maybe because ‘blood is thicker than water.’ Whenever they hurt you, you are so quick to forgive them. The gypsy cousin who keeps showing up at your door without asking, the black sheep uncle who keeps disrupting your family’s peace each time your dad makes a stride, the mother-in-law who can’t let your mother run her family as she desires. The truth is we all have that one hellish relative who keeps messing up our family’s peace. Take Kimotho for example….. Kimotho complains about the relatives from the father’s side, according to him, it’s more chaotic from the father’s side than it is from the mother’s. Eternal conflicts “They are always arguing, it’s like putting radioactive humans together…they will always have a conflict and if there is none, then they will create one.” We have all seen or heard stories of brothers fighting for status amongst each other. This negatively ...

Has it ever occurred to you that to a great extent how your life turns out depends on you? You might agree to this thought, maybe to a given point or you might strongly disagree. Well, it is allowed you know. We all have different perceptions to different aspects of life and I am not claiming to be right…or wrong. But am glad to share my thoughts Am undecided about fate but am certain that our belief systems largely contribute to how our lives turn out. Well, look at this, our beliefs are powerful mechanisms that inform our choices. The choices we make in the long run drive our actions. Our belief systems then, act as a road map, a compass that if is errant can lead you to a life of detours. Well, I know I might have sounded so wise there but its Demarco who said these words in his book: The Fastlane Millionaire. Now, before we delve any deeper, some definitions. What are beliefs? Assumptions that we hold on to as life truths. They are born from our life experience...

  One thing about me, I think. I think a lot. Mostly nonsensical things. Sometimes I don’t think at all. Whenever I walk past a stranger on the streets, I can't help but think what they are thinking about.  If only I had powers to read minds, to know what thoughts are stuffed up in their heads. But the look on their faces says it all. It’s tough, this life. As I walk through the fields, I find myself questioning the grass. Why is the grass green? What if the grass was red, not green? Feels weird, right? Then I remember my science teacher had mentioned something about chlorophyll, the green colouring pigment in plants. But still, who said chlorophyll should be green and not red? And who is this that gets to have a say about grass being green and not red, and who gives him the power to decide this? For a fact, it’s not my fault that I am like this. I am part of a generation that questions everything. Nothing ever seems to get a free pass. We will quest ion everything; ...

The current definition of masculinity is limited and this limited understanding is what is leading us to aggression. We are made to conform in understanding that masculinity is associated with toughness, self reliance, stoicism and acquisitiveness. Manhood is considered to having socially regressive traits in an aim to retain dominance. According to the 1970’s television show  THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN  ‘we can rebuild……….better than he was before’. It is no secret that we have been conditioned to suppress our fears and feelings but project our confidence as men. As young men we were taught that we should wipe our tears as tears were reserved for girls. In the instances where we felt insecure or inadequate we were told to’ man up’. These traits fail to nurture sensitivity in men who have been denied the right to being vulnerable. This simply did no good than prioritizing emotional distance rather than emotional intimacy. The many incidences in our society today ranging from s...

  All around me is a mad world, Out of the light I don’t want any part of it Infact, after all this trial and error I wish I had a button to press and reset Maybe then would I be able to clear the history Out of people’s heads Not wanting my failure to be my identity But before then It’s time to say goodnight. All around me are worn out faces Coming out of familiar places Getting ready for the daily races That seems to pull out the hope they had for unfamiliar heavens Places bestowed with Grace I just want to say goodnight Not to sleep permanently I just want to say goodnight But not entirely But at least to get a chance out of this crazy part of the world. But please wake me up In a year or two In a decade or so When the world is new Break me out of this cocoon When the world is warm again Pull the sheets back together And dare to dream again When it’s worth the take Make a little more effort When it’s worth the take But before then Let me just say goodnight Out of this mad world....

  It occurs to me that as we grow older we become more afraid to be wrong. I recall times as a kid when failure only meant lower scores on a test. This meant I couldn't get admission to Alliance or Mang'u, which meant I couldn't be, let's say the neurosurgeon, pilot or doctor I wanted to be... That was my worry then. Education is the key to life, right? I bet that is why we read that much, especially in high school. Those early mornings were pure torture.  I hated school. Besides friends and food, I had little to look forward to. Sunday nights were my longest. I hated Mondays. I wonder why they named them Monday blues; it should be Monday blacks. Monday paved way for another long week filled with misery. But in all we needed to win. We had to. Education was the key and we needed that key to open the doors that we knocked on. But you didn't make it to that Med school you dreamt of; and while you fought so hard to become a pilot, your brains didn't fight hard enou...

  Where do you want to be in five years? This question freaks many people out and I'm not excluded. I bet you have to think a little hard about your life before you answer this. It is even more complicated for those in careers as this question keeps popping up in those dreaded job interviews. In a world where success is measured by the wealth you own or the job tag you boast of, I bet everyone will see themselves richer, popular or more powerful in their next half decade. But if you ask me where I want to be in the next five years, this is what I would say: We are more interested in meeting the person we think we want to become and less interested in the person we really are. And that is where we all go wrong. You just have to live in the moment mate. I want to be happy Life will always throw curves at you. When you think it's moving in this direction then it suddenly comes moving in the opposite direction. So, to be honest it is difficult for me to say what I w...