Don't just look at me
Look into me
See within the columns of my being

I'm like a painting
Which you might like or might not
But endeavour to know the story behind this art

Don't be carried away by the outside
Open the doors
The inside is yours to discover

This morning, I uninstalled (BBM) BlackBerry Messenger
And to me, that was an eye-opener
I remember few years back,
It was the most sought-after

(At least, in the country I was at the time)
You were highly regarded if you carried a BlackBerry phone,
Even if it wasn't your own
At most, every 10 minutes you would hear the PING tone

The news carried guys who committed all sorts of crime to buy a BlackBerry phone
I heard of girls who sold their bodies for the same thing
I'm sure, when they look back at those days
They won't be proud of what once made them "fly"

The lessons for me are...
Things don't last forever
Whatever it is you can't reach legitimately,
Let it go and let it come organically

Do all you can while you can
Because time and season changes
When the season is favourable for you,
Do not step on toes and
Do not burn bridges, it could transport some help at a later time!

Wearing of masks is not new after all
What is somewhat new is the wearing
of masks made from fabrics
People have always worn masks made of
smiles or vocal masks like "I'm fine", "I'm okay"

I look forward to the days when all
forms of masks will be dropped
When we can bare our souls even
when we don't feel whole and
we wouldn't be judged but met with
kindness and empathy.

I'm grateful for the air that I breathe
I'm thankful for the soil on which I stand
Blessed are the foods that I eat
I'm immensely grateful for my health
Thankful for the lessons I was privileged
to learn from my past
I'm full of gratitude seeing the beauty of this present moment
I'm thankful for my five senses (and the sixth)
I'm grateful for the manifested and
the yet to manifest blessings
I'm thankful for the blessings hidden in challenges
I'm thankful for life in its fullness

Limitation starts in the mind
The feeling that your hands are bound
Whereas the opportunities are vast
A closed mind is worse than blind eyes
Looking but yet can't see
What you call a problem
Could also be called an opportunity
At the end of the day,
What you've called it is exactly what you'll experience.

The store shelves are all empty,
where do I find a heart sanitizer?
A substance to cleanse my thoughts,
to wash off anything that isn't God's.

How do I rid my mind of all these doubts
Is there a disinfectant for the mind?
Having a ***** mind is worse than
swimming in a septic tank ( ew! )

They say germs and viruses will get you sick
But the state of a man's heart and mind
are treated negligently
Maybe it's time to focus our attention
where it ought to be –
The condition/quality of ourselves within.

Is there such a thing as
Addiction to Likes?
Like refreshing that page multiple times
Just to get that "hit of like" like crack

What about constantly watching the notifications
Or dishing out likes just to get some in return
It does have an effect that makes people crave for more

Before your hands touched me romantically
Your words did intellectually
There is something about you that
Changes the rhythm of my heartbeat melodiously

I like that we don't just agree dogmatically
But we criticize ourselves constructively
Through the peaks and troughs,
You stood by me unconditionally

I will love you eternally!

Birth and Death are basically
The wearing of a flesh
And the taking off of the flesh
Respectively
The human spirit has always been
And will always be!

When we focus only on the action
(what was done) and ignore the intention (unrevealed goal), we lose a lot of information.

There's more going on in the heart
than what is played out
The heart is deep, it's hard to fully know
what's going on inside it.

Good intentions sometimes lead to
destructive outputs
And evil plans sometimes end up blessing
the targeted.

Tried to satisfy everybody
But when I was in need, who was there?
Sadly, nobody!
Even those that called me Dear

I would go out of my way
To help people save the day
Often times, I question myself
Does it really pay?
Should I care just for myself?

Then came a voice in my head
Or maybe from my heart
You do it not for them
But for the greater good
Keep up the positive mood!

Words so powerful, It cuts deeper than a knife
Words so powerful, it can start a strife
Words so powerful, it can take a life
Words so powerful, it can spark a light
Words so powerful, it can birth a smile
Words so powerful, it separates a fool from the wise
Words so powerful, it can heal any wound
Words so powerful, it can destroy, maintain, improve or create
Words so powerful, it can bring together like a knit
Words so powerful, it's lifespan can be infinite
Words so powerful, if it falls, you can't take it back!

There is a tool that
can break people or things into pieces
The same can be used as an instrument
To heal, mend and restore peace
This tool is produced worldwide
in unlimited quantities, every second

This tool is called words.

I always try to make the right friends
Not those who wanna see my end
But those who bring out my best
Those that believe in my quest
Those that stick with me through my tests
Those that inspire me to invest
Those that share my interests
Those that keep my heart at rest
Those that live life with zest
That's what I watch out for in a friend

Live
It
Fully...
Enthusiastically,
Enjoyingly,
Exceptionally,
Excitedly,
Empathetically,
Empoweringly,
Exemplarily

Looking in your eyes is like
looking at the blue waters in The Bahamas
Natural beauty,
Beyond my reasoning

The view is calming
Definition of tranquility
Seeing your face is my every second wish
Anywhere around you is my niche!

Unwanted things that we buy
Just to fill a void that we feel inside
Unnecessary battles that we fight
Because we rely on our own might
God is saying, let Me fill you up
Till your cup overflows
I will bring peace to your soul.
If you would open up your heart to Me
I'll show you what tranquility means
I turn broken pieces into a masterpiece
If you don't let Me, I don't overstep boundaries
I am here for you, whenever you're ready.

If someone has broken your heart
Don't let them rob you of the pieces
Holding a grudge against them or
not letting go of the wrong they did you
Is you literally handing them
the pieces of your broken heart
It's okay to feel pained, it's fine to cry but
Don't let them deposit hate in you
(I know it's easier said than done but)
Let go...
Rebuild the broken pieces like a puzzle
Build something even more beautiful
'cause the loss is theirs and not yours
Don't let them bring you down, stand TALL
Above all, protect your joy and happiness!

I do ask myself this question
Are we still connected as humans?
The first answer that comes to my mind...
Yes, we are...
Connected by our social media profile pages

Emotional connection, it used to be
Face to face, we used to see
Face time has been replaced by FaceTime
Audible laughs replaced by emojis and lols

Loss of Laughs
Loss of Love
I understand that it helps us reach farther people
But I'm not sure it's made us better people

A fortune can be hidden within a mistake
And a mistake can also take a fortune away
The direction goes in both ways
With a lot of possibilities in between

Some have discovered their purpose
right in the center of a mistake
Some have forsaken or lost
their purpose due to a mistake

A mistake might not mark the end of a life
But it could potentially be a huge turning point
A turning to the blooming or withering of a life
With a wide range of options in between.

How about, we love one another genuinely
How about, we show understanding to one another
How about, we show some compassion
How about, we give listening ears
How about, we show some empathy
How about, we live life with contentment
How about, we eliminate greed in our endeavours
How about, we let go of backbiting
How about, we are more forgiving
How about, we give support to one another
How about, we show more loyalty
How about, we uphold integrity
How about, we let go of regretting and embrace forging ahead
How about, we protect our planet!

Sometimes it gets really rough
Before things turn around
The key is never to give it up
Soon you'll make a victory sound

Never stop believing
Even when believing is tough
Never stop putting in work
Even when it looks like it's not working

The victory season is fast approaching!

If the world doesn't care to call you names
Why are you scared to call yourself names
Call yourself the greatest
Name yourself the best
Address yourself as the happiest
Call yourself smart, wise and intelligent
If you call yourself those names long enough and believe them,
You'll become exactly what you've called yourself!

Like a bird stuck in a cage
with an open door
Some are held in a box
Due to perceived distorted self-image

There are other boxes
created by the society
Boxes of race, age, class, gender (etc)
Preventing individuals from living to their full potentials

Different labels or tags devised
To shackle people
from being their very best
A pit not to fall into