I seem to forget nowadays,
I am afraid,
I don't want to lose my sweet memories,
And not recognise my children.
21/12/2021

He came like a tidal wave,
And engulfed me in his ocean depth.
My joy crossed all boundaries,
Happiness seared through my very being,
I found the lyrics of my love life in his arms,
We were one large heartbeat.
And when it was over,
He threw me with the surf that rolled and crashed on the shore.
It left many ripples of grief,
With me, abandoned,  a forlorn  seaweed,
Overwhelmed with bitterness and regret.

I was drunk,
Lying on the Delhi Street,conked,
I was thrown out of a bar nearby,
I can't remember why?
I woke with a start,
I found myself in a cart,
Pulled by a shabbily dressed man
With a tattered turban,
And a ragged **** cloth round his waist.
Was he here to collect waste?
Not to ask I thought best.
I threatened him to stop,
Or I would call the cop.
Immediately he put the cart down,
He thought I was gone!
We had a long talk,
His sorry tale made me baulk,
Made me sober.
He was a corpse collector,
With a six year old daughter.
For a few miserly rupees,
He collected corpses,
From the alleys and streets,
And performed their last rites.
The corpses were mostly of those who died of cold,
Their stories untold.
The man had no home,
Come rain,cold or storm,
They lived under an old building's  dome.
The little girl with him tagged along,
Looked at life as a song,
Never a complaint,
The little grubby saint.
On cold frosty days,
To stay warm,the only way,
The corpses became the child's blanket,
She cuddled amongst them as if in a basket.
Tears welled up in my eyes,
This was reality, not lies,
The strings of my heart broke,
From a lifetime of dreams I woke,
I have to turn the hands of the clock,
The Almighty had cleared my vision,
I was sent here for a reason.
I made up my mind,
Gambling and drinking I left behind.
I adopted the pair,
On the same street,I opened a Shelter,
For the needy and underprevileged,
And a Home for the aged.
In life I found my mettle
With wife and children I am settled.
I also work with other NGO's
For the betterment of people's lives.

God fashioned us with love and care,
HIS masterpiece.
HE chose a  special bone that protects man's life,
The ribcage that protects the heart and lungs,
Man's heart, the centre of His being,
Man's lungs that hold the breadth of his life.
From the rib, HE lovingly and patiently shaped and modelled us.
Created us perfectly and beautifully,
Gave us the characteristics of the rib,
Strong, yet delicate and fragile.
HE chose well,
Not the bone from man's feet,
To be under him
Not the bone from the head,
To be above him,
But, from the bone beside him,
To be held close by his side,
And like the ribcage to protect and support him.
You are HIS perfect form,
HIS beloved Angel.
You are what Adam and man experience of HIM,
HIS holiness, strength,purity and love.
Man is HIS image,
You are HIS emotions,
Together man and woman are totality of HIM.

I live in Moshi,Tanzania,
As a child,one day I got lost,
A maasai took me to his home.
He lived at the foothills of the majestic Mt.Kilimanjaro,
His home was a kraal (hut)
made of  stone,sticks and cow dung.
I cried for my parents,
So he fed me milk and blood from a cow,
He pierced a hole in the cow's neck,
He put a bamboo and told me to drink the blood,
It was warm but I vomited,
Gradually, I got used to it.
The maasai's  way of life is communilism,
Hunting,gathering and raiding neighbours cattle.
Theirs is an age set system for men,
The children look after the herd,
I joined them having fun,
No  school, no lessons or homework.
Then,there were the Morans,the youths,
They wore black **** cloths,
Carried a spear in one hand,
Their faces were painted with white ochre.
They protected the clan and the cattle,
From predators and other tribes.
They lived in a circle of huts called manyatta.
After being circumcised the Morans were taught the art of warfare
The bravest warrior got to wear the feathers of an ostrich.
The senior morans could marry and settle down,
The Moran who jumped the highest got the best girl.
The Laigewenanis trained the morans to be warriors,
My maasai was a laigwenani,
Like all maasais, he was tall and lean,
He wore a bright red shuka cloth with black stripes,
A red tartan blanket was slung on his shoulder,
He always held a long bladed stabbing spear,
His long hair was tightly braided,
He had ochre painted on his body,
He had no children and treated me like his son,
He would take me to teach the morans about warfare.
But,he had to take the permission of the chief, the Laibon.
The Laibons were the chief religious leaders,
They settled disputes,
They decided when and on whom to attack.
Luckily,after two months my maasai and I had gone to a game reserve for hunting,
A game warden found me.
He alerted the police and I was taken home safely.
But,I missed my maasai and their pastoral way of life.

sound of wings flapping
butterfly on window pane
see the flowers bloom.
19/10/2021

Here a pump,there a pump,
Everywhere pump, pump, pump
Touch and pump,
A gentle pump, a hard pump,
Swipe and wipe,
Oh!Corona what a life,
OCD  of sanitizer.
17/3/2020

Ten tiny fingers,
Ten little tiny toes,
Chubby cheeks,
Dimple chin,
Like grandpa's and his cheeky grin,
Eyes are blue,
Mischievous  same as grandma's too,
Complexion fair,
With mama's silky hair,
As tradition goes,
Family's small button nose,
Papa's  sweet frown,
And his boring yawn.
Welcome to the happy family little one,
With lots of kisses,huggies and cuddles,it's going to be fun.
18/5/2019

She was a bee,
Her words,like nectar pouring
from her lips,
Her sting was worst.

My family What's app group
Is homemade soup.
It keeps me calm,
Soothes me like a balm,
Reduces tension of the day,
Appeases my appetite for what is happening in some way.
Family relationship is savoury broth,
Holds a strong bond and growth.
Photos and videos,
Not to forget audios,
Are seasonings which enhance the taste,
Just some, only the best.
Gossips,jokes and sayings need time to simmer,
To reach full flavour.
Family moans and groans,
Are birthdays, death,sickness and new borns,
Raining with condolences and wishes,
Tangy, no preservatives.
Family members are garnish,
Quite a relish,
With active members as crusty croutons,
That promote sociability  and traditions.
Passive members are fresh herbs,
Rarely a comment,only few words,
But,are there to bring out the lovely aroma.

An apple a day,
Keeps the doctor away.
For me an apple a day ,
Keeps my hunger away,
Says the beggar who lives down the street,
Big apples or small apples ,
Green apples or red apples,
All taste sweet,
When you have nothing to eat .
In that case said dad,
"So you shall be fed,
Apples on the tree big and round,
Apples on the ground,
Take your pick,
From my garden every week.
7/11/2019

Nine hit eight,
Eight hit seven,
Seven hit six,
Six hit five,
Five hit four,
Four hit three,
Three hit two,
Two hit one.
Zero was frightened,
One is going to hit me hard,
So it huddled with fear in a corner,
Waiting to be hit by one.
Instead one came and sat beside zero,
Zero became ten,
Stronger than all the rest.
Help ,
Don't hit.
3/12/2023

My soul is the master,
My body is an obedient servant.
Without a soul,
My body is just a corpse,
A wasted husk.
The beauty of my body lies
when it is in partnership with my soul,
Just as you need to exercise and go to a gym to maintain your body's fitness,
You need to go to a mosque,church or temple to maintain your soul's purity.
Your body is a carcass that is going to decompose in the soil,
Your soul is destined for your hereafter,
Your soul will be accountable for your deeds good or bad,
Your soul will accumulate Allah's rewards and blessings.
That can only be done by fasting,praying and giving alms,
Not to forget pilgrimage,
Which imbibes piety and certainty in you,
Guards you against evil,
Restrains you from shameful and unjustful deeds,
Cleanses and purifies your soul,
So that  it leaves your body with least pain,
And the Angels come with joy to wrap in soft musk scented cloth,
And take you to your creator.
7/6/2019

When there were no T.V's or cell phones,
When the sky was sequined with stars.
After dinner,family members and neighbours would gather outside on stone benches and chairs,
News and gossip would be shared with keen interest......
Whose wife ran away with whom,
Who delivered a baby,
Who was getting married.
Songs from the latest movie would be sung,
Stories and anecdotes  related,
It was fun.
We shared one apple and drank from the same bottle,
Are  fruits like mangoes and guavas from the fruitcarts without washing them,
Nothing happened to us.
We never went to a playground,
We played football,cricket, marbles, seven stones  and other games on the streets,
And if broke a window, we would run for our life.
We just popped in at our friends' house and shared their food,ate what was cooking in the kitchen,opened their fridges,
No formalities,
You didn't need a nanny to look after your children,
Extended family and neighbours helped out.
Everybody called the grandparents dadi or dadu,
The whole neighbourhood was one big happy family,
Those were the times.

Rise and shine, rise and shine,
Sweet sunshine
Saluted the stars as one by one they disappeared.
Rise and shine,rise and shine
Sweet sunshine,
Sang the moon lovingly,
Romance time is over,
The trio met fleetingly at dawn.
Rise and shine,rise and shine
Sweet sunshine,
Paint the sky in pink and gold,
Ablaze it with your brilliance,
Fill the hearts of the beholder with passion,
Let a new day begin,
Bring the paradise to earth,
Be a new page in  someone's life,
A poet's delight,
A comfort for a sad soul,
Hope and an invitation to brighten someone's life.
Rise and shine, rise and shine,
Sweet sunshine.
7/10/2019

Twinkle twinkle little star,
Every night you glisten so far,
My grandchildren live afar,
Tell them they are the best by far.
I have no one to say,
Grandma,please don't go,stay,
Only a little while,
I love to see your happy smile.
For long I have not felt you sleep on my shoulder,
A chance to hold you a little longer.
I would love to feed you with icecreams and cookies,
Shower on you cuddles and kisses.
Day and night,
I miss my grandparent right,
To store your beautiful childhood memories,
To form a strong bond that every grandparent cherishes.
The pages of my life have you missing,
For what I have and cannot have
my heart aching.
Remember,though we may be apart,
You will always be in my heart.

He came,
He got,
He forgot.
I gave,
I forgave,
I could not forget,
I became pregnant.

Jack and Jill,
Went up the hill,
To fetch a pail of water,
Nobody knows what they did up there,
They came back with a baby daughter.
They named the daughter Mary.
Mary had chubby cheeks,
Dimple chin,no teeth within,
Rosy lips,
Curly hair, very fair,
Eyes were blue,lovely too.
One day Mary went to play on the slide,
Georgie Porgi pudding and a pie,
Kissed Mary and made her cry,
When Jack and Jill came out to see Mary play,
Georgie Porgi ran away.
Mary had a friend called Johny,
He was handsome and Bonny,
Mary Mary,
Yes papa,
Loving Johnny,
No papa,
Open your heart,
Ha! Ha! Ha!.
But, Johnny said,
"Lavenders blue,Mary, Mary,
Lavenders green,
When I am King Mary, Mary,
You shall be  queen."
Papa Jack and mama Jill asked,
Mary ,Mary quite contrary,
We have a querry,
How does your heart grow,
With wedding bells and many heart throbs,
Not now, Mary  sobs.
One day, Johnny proposed,
Mary, Mary,
I'm crazy,
All for the love of you.
It won't be a stylish wedding,
I can't afford a Lamborghini,
But, if a stylish scooter for two,
Will do.
Soon, Mary had a little boy, a little boy,
It's skin was white as snow
It followed her to work one day,
He made her friends laugh and say, laugh and say,
"Mary, what a bonny lass you have.

Small and white,
Their scent a delight,
Blooms at night.
String  them with your hand,
In your wedding garland.
Pluck these fragile flowers,
As offers,
On the graves of your loved ones,
Light a scented candle when done.

Friends are our WiFi connection to life,
An ATM card in need,
A key that turns our sorrow into a smile,
A balm for our pain,
A moisturiser for our success,
Guardians of our secrets,
A rocking partner , a soulmate.
The foundation of a good marriage is friendship.

The day I die,
When my soul leaves my body,
It is light as a feather, pure and smiling.
10/6/2023

What a surprise!
A single bud on a rose tree,
Blushing to open,
As glistening dew bathe it.
I moved down the orchard,
Ah! The Rose Family (Rosaceae),
Apples (malus),
Raspberries (rubus),
Strawberries (fragaria).
Having a morning chat,
In awe to see the blooming of their cousin,the rose,
Their leaves trembling with joy.
Roses are red my love,
So are their cousins Prunus,
Plums and cherries,
Red as fresh blood,
Nodding in the gleaming sun.
What a get-together!

Childhood is when you dance to the beat of your own heart,
Laugh in abundance,
Soak in innocence,
Roam without care or stress,
Happy you,
Carefree you
Free of spirit,
Like a bird that soars in the sky.
When you find solace in your mother's lap,
When bruised knees and elbows
are easier  to heal,
Than a shattered heart,
When a puddle is an opportunity
to enjoy than an obstacle,
When toys, and icecreams matter more,
A war for a chocolate bar,
When you have little fights,
Then, hug each other tight.
Childhood is when you are loved by everyone,
When you are your parents happiness,
When grandparents have lots of time to play with you,
They never tire reading you the same story again and again,
Don't mind if you have an extra helping.
Your childhood is stored in your
memories,
An old book,  smells or textures, a certain habit or food.
No pain, no heartaches.
Hold onto some of your childhood tightly.
11/3/2019.

Kerbala I weep bitterly still,
Thousands in numbers for a meagre few to ****,
For the injustice meted out 1400 years ago,
To enforce allegiance  and satisfy their ego
Kerbala I weep bitterly still,
For the innocent who had done no ill,
Where Hussain stood against injustice and oppression,
Against undue aggression.
Kerbala I weep bitterly still,
Tears of blood my eyes fill,
Where Hussain's seventy-two kinsmen were slain on the scorching sand,
Hardships and cruelties they were ready to withstand,
Denied food and water for three days,
Ready to die in Allah's ways.
Kerbala I weep bitterly still,
My tears continue to spill,
When I listen to the orator,
How Hussain's six month son was denied water,
Instead pierced to death with a three headed arrow,
Which a father from the neck had to withdraw.
How Hussain's brother's hands
were severed and he was killed because he took water from R.Euphrates in a *** for his niece,
A brother who emanated love and peace.
How they battered to death  Hussain's eighteen year old son, an exact resemblance of Prophet Muhammed(SAW),
Prime in his youth,a great sorrow
Kerbala I weep bitterly still,
My tears continue to spill
How Hussain was slain,
On the scorching sand,
Without food and water,
With 999 wounds,blood splurting
out of all parts of his body, to be slaughtered,
Forty thousand army raining arrows at him from all directions,
Blood blurring his vision
He, Hussain alone, unable to move a limb,
A target to satisfy their whims
Some threw stones, some pierced spears and others wounded him with axes,
The leader kicked Hussain and tried to slaughter his neck with a blunt knife,
Not that way, you cannot take my life,
And Hussain said,"Let me prostrate before Allah and pray for forgiveness for my people,
Wounded and feeble,
With an inner strength Hussain heaved himself and gave the last Sajda(prostation),
The enemy severed off his head from his body without hesitation.
Hussain kept his promise to his grandfather to sacrifice his head for Islam,
That day the skies, earth and nature wept bitterly for Hussain(Alai Salam).
Who would not?
The tragedy of Kerbala would evoke deep grief even in the heedless.

Last night when I opened the book of my memories,
My soul cried,
Of what I had lost in life.
11/3/2022

Your inner voice is who you truly are,
Listen to it,
Trust it,
It's a reflection of your soul.
11/7/2021

Cockroach,  Cockroach , what are you doing in my soup,
In the kitchen I was playing hoop la hoop,
And I fell in you soup mister,
It's hot and I am getting blisters,
Scoop me with your spoon,
Before I swoon.
Please don't shout or scream,
I will be thrown out of the kitchen of my dream,
Filthy and messy,
With rotten fish, slimy and smelly,
Red meat in blood,
And fungi on sauces and salads with mould,
Never scrubbed,the kitchen,
For thousands of us it's heaven.
Be a pal,
Go away with your gal,
At least I did you a favour,
Not eating in this yucky place forever.
25/6/2019

You hurt me,
I don't hold any grudge against you,
I don't even despise you,
I forgive you,
But,if you expect me to renew what was between us again,
I am not that foolish.
12/10/2019

Bombarded,
Rubbled,
About to die.
I, Ahmed and my friends yet dream,
To eat a shawarma,
A chicken sandwich,
Not to have the roads closed,
Waiting for a brother,
To hear his mother calling him,
Hopefully to see another morning.
5/11/2023

Horses clop,
Rabbits hop.
Frogs jump,
Caterpillar ****.
Worms wiggle,
Bugs jiggle.
Snakes slide,
Seagulls glide.
Lion stalk,
I walk.
Come on all lets dance,
Let's take a chance.
Clippity clop, hop  hop,
Jump and ****,
Now bump your ****.
One,two jiggle and wiggle,
Please don't giggle.
Slide and glide,
Don't hide,
The room is wide,
You can even ride.
Dear Mr Lion don't stalk,
Sit on a rock,
So I can do moon walk.
27/3/2019.

For Valentine,
I gave my wife,
A plain 14ct gold ring.
It was gift wrapped in a diamond
box from Blue Nile,
I ended up in hospital,
Black eyed, unable to see her emotions.

Behold!
Flowers,nuggets of gold,
Graceful,
Fragile, beautiful,
His creation,
With love and affection.
Tenderly, petal by petal they open,
In spring and Autumn,
Diamonds,glistening in the Sun.
Each different in size,shape and colour,
Rare, exotic delicate flowers
Bursting forth in showers,
Caressed by sweet fragrance,
Intoxicating perfumes,its essence.
Thirsty for their nectars,
Bees and hummingbirds,
Swarm and flock in numbers.
A  new birth,
Nature in mirth.

No pain for oyster,
as nacre coats the sand grain,
Lustrous pearl is formed.

To understand that nothing ever remains the same,
You will learn to accept the change as a challenge.
7/7/2023

Old McDonald  had a farm,
On his farm he had two wives,
His neighbour too had two wives,
Here a nag, there a nag and everywhere a nag, nag, nag.
Old McDonald  had a farm,
On his farm he had five sons,
His neighbour had five daughters,
His sons had crush on his neighbour's daughters,
Here a crush, there a crush and everywhere a crush,crush,crush.
Old McDonald  had a dog,
His neighbour  had  a *****,
Here a puppy, there a puppy and everywhere a puppy, puppy, puppy.
Old McDonald  had a she cat,
His neighbour  had a Tom cat,
Here a kitten, there  a kitten, and
everywhere  a kitten,kitten,kitten
Old McDonald's sons married his neighbour 's daughters,
Here a baby, there a baby, and everywhere a baby, baby,baby.
So old McDonald  ran over the hill and down the vale where his mother dwell.
There he met his three aunts,
Here a yak, there a yak and everywhere  a yak,yak yak.
2/2/2019

I am enough,
What I have is enough,
I have enough hair to cover my head,
So  I shaved,
No hassle for hair styles.
I have more than enough body mass,
I am in the obese class,
Diet and fashion are not my desserts.
I have enough I.Q to run my home,
Tutor my children some,
I have the portfolio of Minister
of  Finance and and Home Affairs.
I am an open book,
I have enough charm and looks,
To make people feel at ease with me.
I have enough *** appeal,
Ecstasy  and joy I feel,
Proof,my husband has not left me.
I have enough love to give away,
I am kind, they say,
Happy and with enough I want to stay.

Never be too much of a woman,
You may lose your man.
Do not be smarter,
For a starter.
Neither be too strong,
Nor too empowering.
Do not make your man
Be less of a man,
Make him feel,
You need him still.
Motivate his endeavours,
Make him feel secure being yours,
Never look at his flaws,
But inspire him so he grows.
Learn to cook well for a start,
Food is a way to a man's heart.
Shower him with spicy romantic gestures,
Be extra nice,giving him more pleasures.
Don't act over wise,
Give him his space.
Compliment him now and then,
Respect him in front of other men.
Be soft and docile,
Not uncouth and vile.
Your man will be by your side,
Forever the marriage vows he will abide.

Have you seen a tree weep,
Not tears from it drop,
But, real blood.
Since 1200 years ago on the day of Ashura,
The day of martyrdom of Imam Hussain at Kerbala,
Mourns a big old fir tree,
In the Zarabad village,near the Ghazwin city in Iran.
Hussain was brutally martyred,
His head slain and hung on a spear!
Paraded  through the streets of Kufa,
So he could save Islam.
This fir tree, in the morning of Ashura performs a miracle,
It sheds tears of blood,
Which trickle down from its branches and leaves.
It's not paint or water colour,
For the drops smell of blood.
If a tree can mourn Hussain,
How can we be left out,
On that day tens of thousand gather around the tree to mourn Hussain,
Many critically ill come for sole purpose to be cured by the holy blood.
With Hussain's death truth prevailed,
Islam prevailed.

Saw a limp pigeon.....
cared and helped onto his nest,
A good deed-worthwhile.

It's like  taking blood out from a stone.

When guests visit you,
Don't ask about their family,
Ask,"How is your mobile?
Is it doing well?
Has it got a new cover?
What about the speed of its internet server?"
Then inquire politely,
"Do you want to charge your mobile?"
It will bring tears to their eyes,
You have clenched a bonded relationship for life.
Admire their mobile with interest,
Like you would their kids.
Appreciate their what's app messages,
Their comments on Twitter and Face Book,
You will have a friend for life.
Last offer if they need your WiFi password,
Your friend will breakdown with
gratitude,
You will get the bestest hug ever.

If you want to be happy focus on good memories and things.
8/2/2019

if life is rough
a tough challenge
hard for ***** too

Like the sunflowers on the rainy and cloudy days,
let us turn towards each other to gather energy,
instead of being depressed and vulnerable,  
let us support and empower each other.

with open petals
sunflower awaits sunrise
nodding  and smiling.
31/5/2021

His broken heart was a kaleidoscope,
Through which he still saw his love as colourful with possibilities.
8/9/2021

Days at home and I have started hearing things,
My furniture and home appliances seem to talk to me.
My bed says "Come and lie down,
Enjoy tea in me,"
My pillows say,"Hug us,relax everything is going to be fine.
As I entered the kitchen my toaster jumped up to warn me of my wife's mood,
Too late, we started arguing and the vacuum told me to **** it up,
To make matters worse the washing machine put a different spin on everything.
The T.V and my mobile threatened to die if I did not give them rest,
Furious I banged the front door,
The door **** advised me to get a grip,
But the door screamed I was unhinged,
At that my fan soothingly said it would soon blow over,
At last the curtains ordered me to pull myself together.
4/4/2020

The groom in excitement says
I DO
He is crowned a Husband
And loses his bachelorship.
27/6/2021

We were more than college friends,
Then we drifted apart.
He became a famous celebrity,
I was just a manger of a big company,
We met at a mutual friend's party.
At first sight I knew it was him,
In his hectic life he seemed to have forgotten me.
As he brushed past me to greet his acquaintance,
He remembered the fragrance of my perfume,
He turned round with a big grin and hugged me.
"Love and Fragrances
Are never hidden".
28/9/2023

We were childhood friends,
The only difference in us was
He had girlfriends,
I had brains.
2/8/2023