Namatsi - Hisia Ni Zangu

I love to think that I am an artist That when I hold pen and paper I can draw something so deep and pure That when I play with the paint on canvas, people get it That when I stand in front of my audience... I am me, Namatsi Lukoye... Granddaughter of one Surusuru Bhulolo That when I touch the keys of my laptop I can write something that can move hearts I love to think that I am an artist A greater being on her way to realize her true potential And what is this potential... and how do I measure it Do I compare me with the what others like me have achieved? Or do I compare me with what I know I can achieve? Because when I look around I know That there will always be those with less and those with more I love to think that I am an artist And Everything I do.... I want to do like an artist I want to touch like a potter... I want to speak like a poet... I want to sing like an angel... Dance feel the music and move in its beat I want to live like an artist Find my

It had become in me To love the dislocation of the truth And find beauty in the unreal Sometimes it is the way of the world, I thought Well, I have lived an interesting life Sometime I was blessed in the morning and cursed before the sun kissed the earth goodnight Yeah I admit that it was worth: I dipped my finger in bee hive long enough to feel and taste the bitter bite Long enough to touch and taste the sensuous sweetest No sugar, sugar coat Then I met someone Who took me so high and made me so wild This someone whose hair was nowhere close to Samson No sugar, no sugar coat But he could make me weak and strong and at the same time made me feel safe This someone whose pockets were not as deep as Bill Gates, No sugar, no sugar coat what we had was more than enough Oh yes, I met someone Whose looks threw him on the opposite side of Imram Abbas , But became the apple of my eye Nothing like Jonah he did not hide in the boat, All he did was keep me wet while the wave

Friday 8th October 2010 I saw a woman today walking around town her eyes as red as my daily beetroot juice I saw a woman today…. Her cheeks still bearing the marks of her dry tears I saw this woman on University Way and I wanted to cry She walked along the pavements of the city In the scotching sun of the day, in only a bra and a small piece of cloth to cover her privates Her face filled with so much pain… Her feet protected by the dust of the plane Her back tired from the weight of the baby I saw this woman on University Way and I wanted to cry Her hand did not hold a cup, she needed no shilling Funny the distances people kept when she passed them This part right here, I hated the people we had turned into All because of the cruelty of the times!!! I saw this woman on University Way and I wanted to cry © Namatsi Lukoye

Every single day I sit next to my baby’s bed And I watch her slowly die The doctor told me she may put on a fight but the disease is way too strong The pain is prolonged and the situation for my little one is just wrong His pain comes through me and all I do is cry Am past the stage of, she needs not to see me cry I think she need to know that I cry for her! This is the only way I can help her! Hoping that she knows if I could I would make each tear Drown it all this mayhem in a storm Take her from everything she sees and feels To a place of our own form The nature is so green The waters are blue Where stars sing songs And the sun is smile at the moon Pain gone and silence golden But I am in hells prison, a terrible disease of helplessness Watching her in pain Nothing is right and this feeling is nothing but cruel My baby turns to me… lifts her hand ignoring the pain from the drip And smiles... That smile… like a star going twinkle, is treasure to me in this bit

Dear sister you are like one of my ankles Without which I am a cripple You will cross the wildest ocean to save me from the sharks You will sit by my side in a hospital bed You will cry when the world casts me out I know that you feel me in a way that word cannot describe You are my forever friend I know that we are so different, But I couldn’t think of a better person to call when I am in need Couldn’t think of a better person to tell me how my boobs look different now and then... or to ask me, 'why are you smiling! are you in love?' Laugh till we cry... or cry till we laugh Couldn’t think of a better person to count my wrinkles Start arguing about who looks older than who... Blood it thicker than water… but this bond we share Is like oil! Reduces friction, makes things glow and work better… and you know Oil is thicker than blood I hope the good Lord allows us to be friends forever © Namatsi Lukoy e

No pain no gain But this train I am riding is way too long for a refrain The rain I see from my window pane Is too plain, filling me with needless pain I don’t want to seem lame But change seems to be an animal so tough to tame In a world dying slowly Time running quickly Ties of lies And the bonds of sins Kweli mboni ichafukapo jicho huwa mashakani I wonder is mine a dream or is my brain twisted in this mayhem Sleepless nights and burnt out candle lights Sights are now filled with fights and backbites Horizons which gave birth to great sites are now no longer bright Flight! Still I wonder if I do, will anything turn out alright. They say the world is a beautiful place Hush me because all I do is weep I think nature is deep the world is too shallow and we need to be deep So please… Give me some space... give me something that makes sense And in the face of my aridity, rain me some peace Because all these pretenses and broken dreams that give me a chase Need to

As we turn on to a new year and aim to touch the stars... I felt one fall from the sky from all the pain that I feel needless came through me again and again. Enjoy my January Poetry and later Hisia Zangu Open Mic Poetry round 4. © Namatsi Lukoye