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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This work has been inspired by the appreciation of poetry in its
raw form; appreciation of poetry as an art and as leisure. I begin
by thanking the Almighty God whose faithfulness is inimitable.
My gratitude for His presence in my life’s every moment is
untellable.
TO LOVE,
TO ITS GREAT HOPES,
TO ITS GREAT PAINS,
AND MOSTLY,
TO ITS UNFATHOMABLE JOYS
A BASKET
OF RUBIES
Kingsley Ndiewo
CONTENTS
A Basket of Rubies 1
A Curse For Everyday Use 2
A Minute, A Poem 3
A Song to Sing 4
Be Ye Not 5
Believe 6
Blind, Deaf and Dumb 7
Blithe 8
Business 9
Change We Need 10
Consistency 11
Cornucopia 12
Dawn’s Mist 13
Density of Time 14
Destined 15
Ephemeral 16
Every Cryptic 17
Every Time 18
Fears 19
Feel My Pain 20
Feline 21
Fire Burn 22
For Friends 23
For The Guild 24
Glad 25
God’s Smile 26
Grandness 27
Happy 28
Holiday 29
Holy Grail 30
Honey 31
I Said 32-33
Inside and Out 34
It’s A Friend 35
Jay 36
Je Ne Sais Quoi 37
Just Love 38
Justified 39
Knowledge 40
Leased 41
Life is Grand 42
Love Is 43
Love 44
Man Eat Man 45
Newness 46
Out of Sight, Out of Mind 47
Palace Politics 48
Pint 49-50
Polar 51
Silent Whispers 52
Tempting 53
That We May 54
Thinking 55
This Little Smiley 56
To Err 57
Turned Upside Down 58
When I Soar 59
Where The Wind Blows Free 60
A Basket of Rubies
1
A Curse for Everyday Use
This is for all you charlatans and normal people,
For you unprincipled souls who live in this craze,
Where the principled are the outcasts and weirdos,
This is my awaited sweet and unrestrained revenge,
2
A Minute, a Poem
What would I write right here,
If only a minute I had to spare,
Would I freeze in my utter fear?
Or face this rather unusual dare?
3
A Song to Sing
It’s easy to step out of tune,
It’s easy to spoil the flow,
It’s easy to mess the tempo,
And wreck the song upon the rocks,
4
Be Ye Not
Be ye not too quick to ire, yet not surreally slow,
Refine your relations, but don’t accept every blow,
Be ye not easy to captivate, but trust in something,
Have your doubt and ease, but don’t reject everything,
Be ye not too agreeable, but find things to believe,
Be free with your pinch of salt, but you must live,
Be ye not too single minded, yet not too random,
Life must have change, still an unshakable kingdom,
Be not lengthy in words, yet not unhelpfully brief,
Keep to the point always, but don’t make it stiff,
Be not too jovial, yet never wallow in sorrow,
Be not too exhilarated, yet never embrace apathy,
God grants us wisdom, but also loves children.
5
Believe
I believed in love,
Because I had to,
Because I wanted to,
With all my heart I needed to,
Wear my emotions on the outside,
But above all this I believed in love.
I believe in love,
Because I need to,
Because it’s loads of fun,
With all my heart I’ve risked it,
And left my mind’s doubts sulking,
But above all this I do believe in love.
6
Blind, Deaf and Dumb
Those who see no evil are blind to the world,
Those who hear no evil are deaf to its cries,
Those who speak no evil are dumb to reality,
7
Blithe
Oh, to be carefree and free of worldly cares!
Oh, to be happy and full of joyful manners,
Mind not whether you ever sell your wares,
When others toil and hoist screaming banners.
8
Business
A market for a new product or service,
A good for an ever eager consumer culture,
Credit cards teach a lesson to those in novice,
That the banking system is an insatiable vulture,
9
Change We Need
There’s a purpose to all we read,
A point to each memorized creed,
Nothing’s learnt we will not need,
A reason waters every planted seed,
10
Consistency
The sky is never any shade but blue,
And this is a truth that sticks as glue,
The sun awakens every new morning,
With yellow rays it stretches yawning,
The fire consumes all it chances upon,
From the tinder to the lottery coupon,
None of these truths has ever yet failed,
Sea of honesty nature has always sailed.
11
Cornucopia
Little rain brings little joy and hot temper,
Heavy rain brings yield and soggy moods,
Hardly the best news for this avid camper,
Who sits in his tent with a book and broods.
12
Dawn’s Mist
There’s a fleeting kiss that begins the day,
When the mists of dreamland are yet to go,
There’s some magic where two lovers lay,
A gentle breeze, a peace that gladdens so.
13
Density of Time
I’ve heard a thousand times that life is short,
Big reason for living on the lawless avenues,
Drink heavy and sleep around without fail,
Because tomorrow’s rising is but a promise.
14
Destined
We were destined for great things,
For soaring on great silvery wings,
We were destined for utter royalty,
Yet we remain still in our poverty,
It is not destiny that betrayed us,
But rather we betrayed her cause,
We sat down solemnly and with will,
Rewrote destiny, our fall with quill,
15
Ephemeral
The folly of an old man is in his days,
Likewise that of a fool lies in his ways,
Oh wisdom thou art even in simple jays,
Yet your aid we find only now and then,
Like a man waiting with paper and pen,
For a tale that comes in perhaps years ten,
Wisdom she’s not a treasure mine to keep,
But rather a sacred well of fathoms deep,
Where we queue to drink like patient sheep,
Thus is the mind’s spark of maximum use,
A spike so very sharp that it blows the fuse,
After that momentary genius is set loose.
16
Ever Cryptic
Lots of times we say what we don’t truly mean,
And that in the end seems what is really within,
Mostly we never say what we want and mean to,
Because it is safer and cleaner and prudent too,
We guard our pride and our hearts and self-worth,
By granting frank words but the very widest berth,
We uphold decency and our image to the world,
By cryptic coding and attenuation of all we hold,
We hate the mockery and the assault on our intellect,
We despise the condescension of society’s elect,
It pays to frown hard when you’re dying to smile,
Of what use is happiness if it remains an outcast?
It is wise to feign indifference when you do care,
What better way the many misconceptions to bear?
Lots of times we say what we don’t truly mean,
Not because we are mean but because we are wise,
Life is not lived in freedom but in a cold steel vise,
You can only undertake what is generally expected,
To live in peace then follow the rules you accepted.
17
Every Time
Every time I look around I see mirth,
And mirth that is born of mocking others,
Every time I look around I see disdain,
Disdain at how others live their lives,
Every time I look around I see jealousy,
Because you have nothing unique to show,
Every time I look around I see pain,
The pain of concealed insecurity,
Every time I look around I see prejudice,
I must be this because I am also that,
Every time I look around I see hate,
The contentment of others itches because…
You want them to be sad and wistful,
You want them to admire and desire your life,
Yet for all your pain they simply won’t.
18
Fears
I’m hopeful that someday I’ll be rich,
Do exploits and win all sorts of accolades,
Yet this hope for future is the present hitch,
You can’t chop present wood with future blades,
19
Feel My Pain
You can smile and run around free,
You can laugh and frolic for all to see,
You can have several cakes and eat them,
For the petal bursts of fun you are the stem,
I can look away and find something to do,
I can bear the great darkness that must ensue,
I can smile even in my wretched self-pity,
Like a standing statue in a devastated city,
We can make this a blind spot and hurry,
We can ensure our meetings do not tarry,
Yes we can shiver in the midst of flames,
Thus we will daily play these dull games,
We can be many souls in the same body,
We can mimic normalcy in colorful parody,
20
Feline
She’s a cat that always lands on her feet,
And when you pet her she’ll purr so sweet,
That it is great joy to play with her all day,
And be awed by her agility, speed and grace,
21
Fire Burn
Energy consumes me from my mind within,
An engulfing miasma of determined passion,
It may be for angelic good or for deadly sin,
Yet as it burns only then can I stay in action,
22
For Friends
Because you're a beautiful person,
I wanted to send something beautiful to you.
Because of laughter and happiness,
I wanted to send something bright to you.
Because our friendship is true,
I wanted to send some roses to you.
23
For the Guild
It’s a club with a spark,
Yet it’s not a club at all,
When it crows you must hark,
Words and rhyme timelessly enthrall,
24
Glad
I’m glad I met you, and got to know you,
I’m glad I saw you, and was awed by you,
I’m glad I came to you, this to show you,
I’m glad I have you, my heart adores you,
25
God’s Smile
I woke up that morning bright and early,
Hurried about dressing feeling a tad surly,
And walked briskly to the beach in anxiety,
Wanting to experience this wondrous beauty,
26
Grandness
We all dream of the big things, the good life,
We all dream of the fine things, the sweet life,
We all dream of the rich things, the high life,
We all dream of the easy things, the cool life,
27
Happy
To goodness,
An open hand,
A little unasked for care.
To happiness,
A broad grin,
A lot of music in the soul.
To beauty,
A striking beauty,
A little slice of perfection.
To discipline,
A hard day’s work,
A respect for the rules of it all.
To wisdom,
A thirst to know,
A fountain of exciting discovery.
To God,
A present help,
A love beyond wildest imagining.
28
Holiday
Ever felt as lazy as a hot African afternoon?
Such that the mere thought of getting up tires,
When your eyelids are heavy you’ll doze soon,
And wake up when the sun douses its fires,
Ever felt as happy as young, inexperienced love?
That exuberant love that knows no risk or pain,
You walk and think there’s no more to have,
And it’s beautiful both in the sun and the rain,
Ever felt as bold as the king of the beasts?
Walking royally across the African grassland,
When you can face anything until it submits,
And you can take the scorpion in your hand.
29
Holy Grail
What’s life all about?
That we’d rather live,
Every day and the next,
With hope for more,
What’s it all about?
That we spend hours,
Planning for the future,
Yet we know not if it is,
Why are we so optimistic?
And from whence comes will?
30
Honey
For young love, like a flower in spring,
The bees come for nectar and its promise,
A sweetness to hope for but yet unseen,
For young love, a promise of better things.
31
I Said
This is one for all of my friends,
Not because they are good people,
Or because they keep with the trends,
Because they are the star on the steeple,
They have in ways big and rarely small,
Made something better of what I have,
Or brought me back aloft when I stall,
This they have done in peace and love,
32
I said a prayer for you thus every night,
That among men you will have relevance,
Not populist but a doer of great deeds,
That through you lives may be changed,
33
Inside and Out
It's easy to write, to tinker with words over time,
It's easy to rhyme, to make the ends most sublime,
Yet from this craft comes art and magic and poetry,
That calms tyrants and dispels most virulent bigotry,
There's a dance of science and art in ardent rhythm,
That brews both body and beauty in works of man,
The one crafts the form, the other the spirit within,
Gives meaning to words and opens the emotions can,
34
It’s a Friend
It’s a friend, who knows you well,
It’s a friend, who knows your scale,
It’s a friend, who makes you laugh,
It’s a friend, who will earn your love.
35
Jay
It is said that love is but a delusion,
That Cupid’s venom is a surreal illusion,
I wonder about who says this for sure,
Because I have this feeling real and pure.
36
Je Ne Sais Quoi
There's a depth of mind,
Where joy itself resides,
That's a special kind,
Of endless joy besides.
37
Just Love
She’s an angel designed and verified by the master,
A work of art and heart, heart and soul, divine,
Her smile they say is bewitching, it clouds thinking,
But what to think of, but awe at such finery and grace?
When I look upon her countenance there’s sweetness,
I can hear angels singing in the loving lilt of her voice,
But when she smiles, that smile that melts men suddenly,
This is love defined, yet incomplete until twain shall feel,
But not just feel, for what is feeling but whimsical will?
No, love is a solid walled fort where fears can hide,
Yes, where a timid boldness can keep warm and grow,
From the master Himself comes this cord to bind,
Not as chains that detain but as a sash dignifies,
38
Justified
It is said that even sin has justification when we seek some,
Some valid sounding reason that takes away the guilt,
Because guilt is at the very least rather troublesome,
Yet our hearts are upon the want of luxury built,
This might be just another poem to read now,
A little food for that famished culture,
Then back to breaking rules and sweaty brow,
We say to err is human, that’s our slow puncture,
This feeling that we are destined to make mistakes,
Thus instead of waiting for accidents let’s cause them,
Little knowing that we are eating our treasured cakes,
When we’re done we’ll find we can no longer have them.
39
Knowledge
I know so little about the entire universe,
Yet so much about but a little part of it,
I feel so great about my rather small verse,
Trumpet it much more than is good for it,
40
Leased
One of my best loved songs says,
That this life is not really mine,
That it is leased to me for a while,
But to have it for good I must buy,
41
Life is Grand
Life is grand in tranquil seas and grand in the storm too,
Without the storm to see, the sea would be judged askew,
Life is grand in wisps of smoke, and grand in steel and solid rock,
For fire has mighty grandeur, and cities rise from majestic stock,
Life is grand from deep within, and grand in far flung places,
For from the thoughts inside, comes great joy for many faces,
Life is grand on mountains high, and grand in lazy valleys low,
Snowy peaks of royal height, to grassy lows where rivers flow,
Life is grand in peaceful silence, and grand when cranked up high,
With quiet days to meditate, and noise that busy streets deny.
42
Love
Love is a silence; it isn’t a grandiose bellow,
It's a quiet little wind but it doesn't vanish,
It's the embodiment of the old adage that still waters run deep,
Because when there is love, the Mariana Trench is a little ditch,
Love is a feeling and a shade of life all rolled into one,
It's like changing color; it makes us different yet not overly so,
Love isn't jumping from ice to fire; it's a slow stew simmering,
It isn't a momentary burst of solar fury; it's a lazy sun-filled day,
Love is a fire that burns not, a rain that drenches not,
It's a physical cause without any tangible physical effect,
43
Love Is
Love is beauty, beauty unmatched,
A vista imagined, and born to reality,
Love is deep, depth undefined,
A complexity that makes relativity seem easy,
Love is true, truth unsoiled,
So clear that gravity is more doubtful,
Love is joy, joy untrammeled,
A happiness that borders insanity,
Love is timeless, a taste of eternity,
It was and is and will remain,
Love is divine, divinity of God,
The most precious gift that He gives,
Love is poetry, a verse inexpressible,
You might write a thousand lines,
And never really describe it.
44
Man eat man
A society thinks itself progressive and grand,
Increasingly individualistic and getting bland,
It’s about dollars and shillings and even rand,
To buy the cars and jets and amass the land.
45
Newness
There is a seductive beauty to anything new,
That indeed we can compare to things few,
That sheen that lasts a few minutes for you,
Coupled with a smell of some industry stew,
46
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Out of sight and out of mind,
Love is bright and mostly blind,
Trust is slightly old truth will bind,
Out of sight and out of mind,
Wisdom saves that you will find,
Fools enslaved must be left behind,
Out of sight and out of mind,
This line’s flight will presently land,
Thus we part this hand in hand,
That seems to me somewhat bland,
Out of sight and out of mind,
My plight is making my dreams true,
By rightly writing lines to accrue,
In with joy and out with the moody blue,
Out of sight and out of mind,
47
Palace Politics
Gentle lies we tell and that’s the puzzle,
How we can still go on despite this outrage?
Is it that we are blind to the manipulation?
Or completely ignorant of the stark reality?
It is wisdom to keep damage control in muzzle,
‘Tis not that our thinking has suffered an outage,
Simply that we have chosen to impose association,
Regardless of fact that nature herself makes query.
48
Pint
A pint of blood,
Flows through veins,
Like a river in flood,
A pint of blood,
That’s what the Red Cross wants,
And no one’s willing to face,
A large needle,
A pint of milk,
From a cow, we all know how,
Perhaps cows feel violated,
Yet tea must be made,
And dairy milk for the dames,
A pint of milk,
Is the difference between,
Coffee in glut and coffee in famine,
A pint of beer,
Is it really that dear?
Some solace for cold nights,
And a surefire cause for fights.
A pint of beer,
It’s rather funny,
That it should cost money,
To be happy.
49
A pint of blood,
It’s red as a rose,
Coz it’s from the heart,
A pint of milk,
It’s white as snow,
Coz it’s healthy,
A pint of beer,
It’s the same color going in,
As it is coming out,
And that must really mean something.
50
Polar
Life has lots of magical moments,
Those that never seem to fade away,
Moments you want to keep in a jar,
Collect and keep them for all time,
Yet life also has its deeper trenches,
Reaches of solid darkness that linger,
Chasms we wade frantically through,
Hours we would quite gladly erase,
51
Silent Whispers
If I held your hand and walked with you,
And we got lost in tales under skies blue,
If I stopped and sighed and gazed at you,
At the sight in your eyes for every clue,
If I touched your cheek to smile with you,
So your fears vanish like the morning dew,
If I said these three magical words to you,
Whispers sweet that I your doubts subdue,
If I held you close and gently sang for you,
A lovely song with words undeniably true,
If I paused a while to write this for you,
What a tale to tell and really such fun too!
52
Tempting
It must be tempting to remain here,
Bathed in my own self-importance,
Clinging to the pride that I hold dear,
And retaliating fiercely to impudence,
Spending days on grandiose projects,
Of purely selfish largesse and finesse,
To prove points to imagined detractors,
Deaf to the life lessons that instruct us,
53
That We May
That we may seek more confidence, and less pride,
That we may seek more understanding, and less knowledge,
That we may seek more grace of spirit, and less vengeance,
That we may seek more service, and less power,
That we may seek more openness, and fewer secrets,
That we may seek more adventure, and less caution,
That we may seek more wisdom, and less cunning,
That we may seek more wealth, and less flamboyance,
That we may seek more security, and less coercion,
That we may seek more deterrence, and less belligerence,
That we may seek more trade, and less exploitation,
That we may seek more friendship, and less acquaintance,
That we may seek more independence, and less hermitage,
That we may seek more critique, and less backbiting,
That we may seek to be more empirical and less prejudiced,
That we may seek more value, and less expense.
54
Thinking
I'm still thinking, I haven't stopped,
'cause in an inkling, the balloon is popped,
My eyes are twinkling, for all the fun,
Of ships in sinking, and ships in sun,
55
This Little Smiley
This little smiley is very funny,
This little smiley with the smile,
This little smiley is sweet as honey,
This little smiley is worth your while,
This little smiley is very forlorn,
This little smiley with the frown,
This smiley hopes it’s not too long,
Till this little smiley’s sorrows drown,
:-P
This little smiley is full of fun,
This little smiley is most cheeky,
This little smiley sticks out his tongue,
This little smiley is somewhat tricky.
56
To Err
To err is human, that’s a core,
But never twice in the same way,
That’s just plain unscientific,
To forgive divine, so goes the lore,
But only after confession pray,
And in these things be specific,
57
Turned Upside Down
North will never always remain on top,
As south is not for eternity down below,
And east turns to west as round we go,
Direction and orientation always arbitrary,
58
When I Soar
If I soar, on wings not mine,
Cross the skies, on bearings thine,
If I stand on ground, not my own,
Harvest large, from seeds not sown,
If I do these things, and soar at all,
Then mine is shame, and curse to stall.
59
Where the Wind Blows Free
There’s a place so close I can feel its breeze,
Yet so far as I can’t bear the thought of going,
There it is with the sun’s rays bathing its vistas,
And the silvery moonlight kissing it goodnight,
There it is like a ladder to the sun in all its joy,
Yet like the pot at the rainbow’s end it hides,
I know it’s there but I can’t see where it begins,
There’s a place so close I can feel its breeze,
Yet so far that it might as well be a fairy tale.
60