O Kenya! My Beloved

O Kenya!

Peep from the corner of thine eye and see your love

Tears of honor and infuriation of joy for thee art edged

Sounds of hope, with songs of citizenship beloved

I will sing to thee with a will so profound

For whence thine Peace goest, will I go…

O Kenya!

My dear, my beloved, my resound of a nation

My land, my country, my prayer, my petition

My people, my cities, my towns, my meditation

My fight, my struggle, my turn for anticipation

On thine walls I will wait in desperation

For whence thine Peace goest, will I go…

I love you Kenya! I won't give you up!

O Kenya!

My emotion shall turn for thee

I will not allow my courage to flee

Nor my thought, nor my ability to see

For thine beauty will I always behold in me

Forgetful not of what a blessing from above you are to me

In the deepest of my angst I will still see thee

For whence thine Peace goest, will I go…

Yeah, whence thine Peace goest, will I go

Praying, panting, running for thine Peace

Even shadows of thine dreadful past will grab me not

I will keep praying, gasping, running for thine Peace…

O Kenya! My beloved, my nation, my land…

Whence thine Peace goest, will I go…

Bonface Morris

Imela (Thank You) Lyrics & free mp3 Download - Nathaniel Bassey

I just cannot get over this song...

Download it here (5.7 MB)

Listen to it on SoundCloud.com here

Song: Imela (Thank You)

Date Released: Apr 01, 2012 by Nathaniel & Overflow Company

Artist: Nathaniel Bassey ft. Enitan Adaba

Lyrics:

When I think upon Your goodness

And Your faithfulness each day

I’m convinced that it’s not because I’m worthy

To receive the kind of Love that You give

But I’m grateful for Your Mercy

And I’m grateful for Your Grace

And because of how You’ve poured out Yourself

I have come to sing this song in Praise…

Chorus:

Imela, Imela (Thank you, thank you)

Okaka, Onyekeruwa (Great and Mighty, Creator of the world)

Imela, Imela (Thank you, thank you)

Eze mo (My King)

Who am I to sing Your Praises?

Who am I to worship You?

It’s Your blood that makes the difference in me

And made a way to enter into Your Throne

I could not come near Your presence

I could never sing Your song

But the sacrifice of Calvary’s tree

Is the reason I can cry out today…

(Repeat Chorus) x2

Bridge:

[Onyedikagi? (Who is like You?)

Ekene diri gi? (All glory belongs to You)

Onye ne mema (He who does good)

Onyedikagi? (Who is like You?)

Ekene diri gi? (All glory belongs to You)

Onye nagworia (Mighty Healer)] x5

Repeat Chorus x2

Bonface Morris

“What If…?”

What if I was never born

Or the world tore apart the very day I was born

And the sun and the moon, and the stars were expelled from their fun?

What if I had never been seen

From the very day my “I” had “been”?

Maybe then the scars would fade in the sun

And many tears would smile at the moon

Just to have a glance of an unfading, presumptive beauty therein

Maybe I would then be the unknown that wishes itself a breathe coupon…

What if life was so reachable and tangible

That man by himself would make life ample?

What if it was so malleable and formidable?

What if darkness was not and light was always available?

What if toiling were only a scent within stories – something only thinkable?

Maybe then we would embrace wonder because we are able

And life’s price would be less price – cheap and imaginable

Maybe then even the tiny bits in it would mean nothing desirable

And life itself would soar in disarray, with nothing being infallible

And it would always wander and seek, meekly in an amble

Wanting wantonly and clumsily to peel at every stable…

What if there was not anxiety

And the soul had mercy upon the body

And the body rejoiced at the brailing of the soul - happily?

What if the mind was never provoked to behave scantily

Or the stomach to desire avariciously?

What if hands lazied not but worked gladly

Or the feet feebled not but stepped steadily?

O what a joy it would be to walk and do, to live without folly!

O what a world it would be, one without burdens overlying us heavily!

What if there existed no knowledge

Or wisdom or discernment, or the ability to judge?

What if there was no love, nor hope, nor faith

Or the desire of the above to gain growth?

What if there was neither treason, nor blackmail nor wrath

Nor mercy, nor grace, nor oath?

What if all our questions were answerable

And understanding was a thing even of the simple?

What if there was no winning nor losing, nor success, nor failure?

What if there were no ups and downs, nor longs, nor shorts?

What if there was neither wrong nor right

Nor peace, nor war, nor “yes”, nor “no”?

What if…?

Such a world… may never exist… but only in the mind…

Such a world… can never exist… but only in the heart…

It clings on the strengths of “hope”… and on the threads of wistfulness…

So stop wishing… and complaining… or ranting… and fighting…

Stop wanting… to change things you can’t… and desiring… and tearing worlds

Worlds you can’t change… things you can’t control…

Stop fighting airs… and swearing swears… and pounding yourself into tears…

Because, because it is… a person like you… blessed like you…in the place where you are…

Who needs to be thankful for you… and not for the other “you” you can’t see…

And the “you” can’t be…that “you” which will never be you…

So stop being the imagined “you”… and start becoming the you-you…

Stop dwelling in “your” world… and come back and start living in our world…

Because, because…it is you… and only you… that needs to start appreciating you…

Loving you… being mindful of you… because, because… you deserve a better… you…

So, what if, you became you and stopped being “you”…?

Bonface Morris

Valentinology

Guys, there is no doubt that Valentine’s is a special day *sigh!* At least to some of us…

And “special” can be quite ambiguous sometimes depending on where one is on the so-called “love line”. To some (me included) it is just a waste of time. To others, it means everything there is in the love game. They worship it. They’ve been waiting for it. They endear it. They esteem it. It is in their hearts, in their souls, in their minds, in the movement of every breath of theirs…They dream of Valentine’s all year long…They think that it qualifies the existence of heaven and earth, and that it is the imprint of love itself.

But to me, yeah, to me, it is just a common day - as common as any other. Okay, let me be fair: It is as good and common as every other day. And though you may already be wishing to throw stones at me (but I’d rather you threw cakes and chocolate instead of stones), I am neither dying soon nor stopping to write about it. Just get used to that fact.

Valentine’s is a season of deep recitations and queer damnations. In fact, if you have been careful enough to make observations, you will realize that the value of “love” in relationships revolves around this season. It carries with itself the mist and fog of our love lives – forms of blindness together with heightened pretence-cum-ignorance. It is like a White Christmas that appears all of sudden in tropical Africa. A mysterious happiness, you know – like jumping off a plane that was previously flying smoothly into the air smiling at yourself because of the assurance of the presence of a parachute only to discover that the stripes won’t unlock! And you find yourself falling deep, deep down into the air like a stone – with a doddering fate to revel yourself in. It is like smiling on the outside while deep inside there is a whole looooooot of pain. It is like missing someone you can’t have – someone you have never had...

But again, Valentine’s is a season of happiness. A season of happy love.  It is this time that you may spot mirages of kindlings and rekindlings of the embers of love. The dead passions may come to life in this season. Relationships may just be miraculously touched by the hand of reconciliation. Ghosts of forgetfulness and irresponsibility may mysteriously vanish and disappear [Ooh! Thank God!]. The dead longing, the callous feelings, the shamefulness of love may just be turned around in this season - and maybe without the death of upth…

It is possible that Valentine’s has a good fortune for some people too. Maybe this time a man may take out a lady after kinda year – like a balloon suddenly inflates [and o how ladies always wish that nothing, no demon, no dark spirit (like Uhuru Kenyatta’s) pricks the air out of that love balloon!]. Or a lady may take out her man – it happens, and I somehow enjoy the sense in/of it. Love ballads may be sung. Little love songs. Tiny shows of love may be displayed in the publicity of all. Hearts are going to be stirred. People may enjoy love this season… People will enjoy love this season. The tottering vehicle that was a relationship may just gain stability. Yeah, Valentine’s too has some positivity attached to it. That is why I may advocate that you go for it as you excuse me to remain being the proverbial preacher who drinks wine but preaches water – whatever that metaphor meant…

Nevertheless, the game is on and it needs to be played out well (as some would wish it will). Guys are having expectations and are now utterly forgetful. Ladies are already having love fevers and are showing symptoms of lovemania. Some are pretending not to be aware of the presence of the damned day. Oh, well, I don’t give a damn. It is here. It is just 6 days away...

Let me give you tips to put on your “to do list” if you are one of them “love birds”:

1. Romance - Guys, if you had promised yourself that you’re going to sing her a song (and I really pity you for that) here’s a link to my YouTube channel with 6 songs I recommend.  In addition to music, you may need to up your skills of thoughtfulness (whatever that means as interpreted by them dudettes). If that means gifts or acts of affection to your lady, then you are good to go.
2. Gifts – we all don’t love the same things. Chocolate is the culture, but it is not the rule. Flowers are the custom, but not the law. And who said that guys don’t deserve gifts from their ladies, huh? Who said that? Ladies need to up their game in giving gifts. We guys deserve gifts too. Be thoughtful and share the special moment with your significant other with a gift. It doesn’t have to be expensive (okay spare me the heckling please) because effort and sacrifice matter more in the game of love than affluence…
3. Venue – get a place to spend the evening (or day) that is appealing to both of you and which is in sync with both your value systems. Get a place where nothing will disrupt your attention to each other. Noisy ain’t good – unless it is okay with both of you. Private is dangerous – sex is never too far a sin. Choose your venue well. This is your day. Get a place to spend it like it is the only one.
4. Creativity – be creative with how you are going to do things. Gestures, words to be used, the food to order, the fashion to wear (who said that it should always be red?), the way to behave… If you are not so good at “mouth service” (the right words to say to your partner), you may need training. Go use Google. Google is a genius that most people underuse… Side note: If Google ain’t your friend, come to me and I may just help (haha!)
5. Be yourself – I don’t need to say more on this one. Just go out there and be yourself. Pretense is such a great killer of romance… [if you didn’t know]…

Single people (like me) will need to embrace the fact that there is still life to be lived on Valentine’s Day (or in the Valentine’s season) apart from that kind of love people celebrate in such a season. We should know and appreciate that singlehood is just as cool as being in a relationship, hence think less about love (sic)… God loves us… hehe…and therefore we should gain strength not from a relationship but through making ourselves better for that someone that (one day) is going to be placed our way… [if we so wish to have that someone one day...]

We’ll talk more about singlehood and Valentine’s Day on another day…

Have a beautiful Valentine’s season guys.

Bonface Morris.