LOVE IS A WALKING STICK

The old man trusts his body

  to a piece of metal or wood

Not as his god or anything 

But as a prop to hold him up

The injured man does the same.

Alas, love is a walking stick 

Sturdy, reliable

With you every step of the way

Unrelenting, every night and day

Sometimes, the stick may break

And the rider is thrown 

Whose fault is that, 

Is it the stick? 

Even if it were, a man gets another one

And the journey resumes again. 

Be as it may, whether strong or unreliable

It's not about the form, but the matter.

Hear the spirit of the guide,

The essence of the walking stick 

Is to be with you, to support you;

Love is the walking stick of life,

To be with you every step of the way...

04/01/24

HARMATTAN AND WINTER

Long way from home, 

My first time alone.

Things we joked about in the past

Became a reality pretty fast. 

Definitely not the way we planned, 

Not at all, not even close! 

We thank the Lord for growth, 

But a bit, I miss the homeland. 

The air is dry and filled with dust, 

The weather itself is cold to touch, 

The wind is rattling my windows, 

The roof is creaking like goalposts. 

It's noisy on the outside,

The mill grinding out its content;

The sound of vehicles on the freeway, 

Children having themselves a grand day.. 

It's quiet on the inside, 

Just as I like. 

The holidays around the corner, 

To cool down the day we suffered. 

Harmattan and winter,

Opposites alike, 

Harmattan and winter,

Christmas is near. 

The months went by pretty fast, 

Bit still quite a ways to go:

Couldn't leave home fast enough, 

Adventures called for me to go. 

Harmattan and winter,

I'm not alone, 

Harmattan and winter,

I'm missing home. 

12/12/2023

I GIVE GOD THANKS

Wanted to get angry

But I remember God had been there

I understood the feeling 

of smashing things or smashing people

It came into my heart

Isn't it right to give God thanks? 

For good and bad, to give God thanks? 

Even to thank him that the bad was good

Or will be good? 

To glorify him in the situation 

And let him take the glory?

I'll set my heart at ease

For my God to take the glory

What other option is there? 

I'm scared of the alternative 

So mad I can't consider it

But I'll give my God the praise, 

I'll give him the glory

And thank him like he's already done it

That he's already done it

For he's already done it

Amen.

BABY, LOVE YOURSELF

You'll find time to lose yourself in love 

Put the happiness of others above your own 

Find joy in the things that make them happy 

Sometimes to the loss of your own—

Baby, love yourself. 

You've seen how wicked the world can be

How cold it gets out there 

How quickly people can turn on you

For reasons you can't even think—

Baby, love yourself. 

You're in love with how they love you, 

You're blind to how amazing 

How wonderful a creature you are

But you surrender only to what they say you are—

Baby, love yourself. 

You're happy and you can't help it, 

You're sad and you don't know why

You feel like the best thing in the world,

Then you mess up again big time—

Baby love yourself. 

Unconditionally and unashamedly, 

Shower no apologies unreservedly, 

Show the world how much you care, 

But really you don't even have to care

That Baby, you love yourself. 

When you feel rejected 

When no one has your back

When you feel unlovable 

Or consider yourself despicable—

Baby, love yourself.

When the nights get dark and you see nobody

When the days grow cold and you need somebody 

When the road gets tough and you feel so lonely 

When it's hard and the tears flow so freely—

Baby, love yourself.

Baby, love yourself 

Baby, love yourself 

Baby, love yourself 

Baby, love yourself 

Baby, love yourself...

With O. Doris