Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Ndoto Kubwa

Nimejawa na ndoto za ushindi
Sipati usingizi
Mapenzi kwa familia hakuna wa kuyazidi
Ni jukumu kujituma
lazima kujitahidi
Kuzidi
Pambana na miba navyo visiki
Kuitafuta riziki
Iondoke yetu dhiki
Tupate faraja maisha yawe rahisi
Tupate kujenga jamii tunayoishi.

Nahangaika kuutafuta ushindi
Sitaki usingizi
Starehe ni gharama na kwetu hatuziwezi
Lazima kukazana ili niipate kazi
Inipatie malazi, chakula, mavazi
Isije niingia hulka ya ujambazi
Sitaki kuchetuka, nimeshaaga wazazi
Nimeshatoa ahadi
Rushwa kuiweka mbali na kukwepa ufisadi
Tamaa kuizuilia isijenigeuza hasadi.


Sitochoka kupigania ushindi
Ushindi nyumbani,
Ushindi wa upendo, usawa na amani
Kwa kila mwanadamu Afrika, na duniani
Isimwagwe hovyo damu
Kama ng'ombe machinjioni
Asiuzwe albino
Kama mbuzi mnadani
Sitaki
Kuona inapotea haki
Sheria isimame hata kwa wenye malaki
Tupo sawa watu wote hata tukiuza chaki
Maji, pipi, au mishikaki
Wanyonge nao watu sitopenda waonewe
Ndiyo mana nakazana mahitaji yao wapewe.


Maisha ni safari ya kusaka ushindi
Kufanya yaliyo mema
Kuzitafuta neema
Mungu anijaalie tabia iliyo njema
Ukweli siku zote niweze kuusema
Nikwepe shutuma za jamii na lawama
Niweze kuwa mshindi kwa baba na mama
Kwakweli Sitochoka!
Kwa nguvu nitasota!
Milima nitapanda, mabonde nitashuka
Majangwa nitapita, bahari nitavuka
Manyasi nitafyeka, visiki nitaruka
Pambano ntapigana, ushindi kuupata
Nia yangu kuu kuukamata ushindi
Peke yangu tuu nitasonga ikibidi
Niombeeni uzima nifike huko salama
Niokoe Tanzania kwenye wimbi la ujinga
Turudishe mshikamano kama enzi za ujima
Usawa kwa watu wote, walo bara na visiwa.
Ndoto yangu kubwa, Ndoto ya ushindi.

© Zuhura Seng'enge
~ A.L 2015

REMIND ME


Find me the first book
That taught us how to love each other
Remind me
What it means to give without condition
How to care without ill intention
Find me the first book
Of gentleness and kindness
regardless
of origin, race or ethnicity
of pure love to humanity.


Read me the first book
That taught us how to live
With our neighbors
Remind me of the way
One should treat his brother when he is in need
or when he is dying of hunger out on the street
Read me the first book
Of communal relations
acceptance
of team work and cooperation
From first generation.

Bring me the first book
That taught us how to read
the wisdom of the fore fathers handed down to sons and daughters
Remind me
How to reconnect with my roots
or how to peel away the veil that keeps us from the truth
Bring me the first book
Of African scripts
Texts
Those before BC
Of true African history.

Search for me the first book
That taught us how to pray
with purity of heart
Remind me the values
with which one could be signified
As a faithful servant, dignified
To lead spiritually
Search for me the first book
Of honesty to the faith one claims to belong
A song
Of sincerity and clarity to right and wrong
Of equality to all man kind, weak or strong.

Take me to the place of birth of my nation
Remind me, why I was important to God's creation.

©Zuhura Seng'enge
~ A.L 2015

UNBROKEN

Unbroken - PART ONE.

Shake me, push me to the ground
I swear I won't make a sound
Slap me like a child
Curse me
but you will not take my pride
Undress me before the crowd
Strike a hundred lashes on my back
You will not hear me quack
Crack my bones if you must
In my lord I put my trust
You can cut each finger from my hand
You can leave me eight days out the burning sand
You can stand
and watch me bleed out like a cow
No word will come out of me anyhow.
Poke and probe me like a science experiment
Leave me with a permanent impairment


Be violent!

Do not hesitate to punish this prisoner
Mr. Police, judge, jury and executioner
Barry me alive if need be
I do not need my freedom, I was already born free.

You Can't Break Me!
You Can't Break Me!


*Inspired by the movie ‪#‎Unbroken‬
©Zuhura Seng'enge
~ A.L 2015

ME AND MY BROWN SKIN

I asked God if it was a sin
To be born with a black skin
To have a protection from the burning rays of the sun called Melanin
Because everyday I see
Sisters buying products to become brown free
Apparently,
Sold complexion is everything
To the 21st century woman than loyalty
Everyday I see
A stranger honored more in my own country than me


I asked God if it was a test
To be born so different from the rest
To have more scars buried in my chest
While my quest
For justice has barely begun
How can one compete with a barrel of a gun
Pointed at their head since they were very young
Living by and by as the praise is sang
'O hail the white man who made spoons and pans'
Forgetting that the steel was forged by their own hands.

I asked God if it was a mistake
To be born in such a state
Of rejection from other races
A misfit
Out solving cases
Out changing places
Because no one suspects the man with an accent
To be the perpetrator of an accident
Excuse my sharp tongue, but tell me if you ever saw
A foreigner being charged for breaking the law
Not in this country brother, so I do wonder
If it is the knack for perfection
Or the talent for deception.

I asked God if it was maybe a gift
To be born so exceptionally unique
To be singled out in a continent that was not known to exist
With millions of treasures to handle as we see fit
but that became history after they came and made us toil
For what was ours
Separating us from our families
Hungry, but working for hours
Forced to pay tax for existence
Killed on spot if showed resistance
So I worry, all this attention
That we give so respectfully
Is it maybe pretense
Or just loaded obsession?

I asked God a lot of questions
and I know that it is wrong
but I needed direction
A sign of hope
I need salvation
To be pointed to the light
Because I want to be right
For beauty and respect seems to be something we lack
I wonder why,
Is it because we're born black?

©Zuhura Seng'enge
~ A.L 2015

SACRED

My love,
I never detested it
Never questioned it
Never pretended it did not matter
Or that it did not carry meaning
I respected it
I valued it
I prayed for it
I longed for it,
A light in my dark moments
A lullaby in my sleepless nights
A song in my gloomy days
For it is sacred,
Then when it found me
I had found my serenity
A timeless heaven
More than a light
Better than a lullaby
Sweeter than a song
and like the scorched earth when kissed by the rain,
It quenched for me my burning desire
To love,
and to be loved


O my love,
It is like a flower garden
Carrying a myriad of scents:
Scents of adventure
Scents of passion
Scents of pleasure
Scents of happiness
Scents of strength
I am blessed,
Dancing like a butterfly- pleased to have found its rose
Yes it has quenched my thirst
It has made me contented
I did not detest it
I did not question it
I do not lie in its name
Nor do I take it for granted
For it is sacred
I respect it..
I cherish it..
I accept it..
It is not here be explained
but to be felt,
Experienced, shared

My love, it is another sunset,
and today you stand next to me
I know, my tomorrow will not be the same
and I, shall not wish it so to remain
Because you make every today more beautiful,
more special than yesterday
My love, you make me happy in every way.

(C)Zuhura Seng'enge
~A. L 2016

MAGIC WORDS



Say something,
Break down these walls
These stone cold walls that keeps us at a distance
Even when we are close,
We are still so distant
Save us from this fall
This deep dark hole sucking out our energies
Making us lose our souls
We are broken,
Shattered by our pasts into fragile pieces
To be whole, we need to be put back together
Every piece, patiently, gently, kindly brought back together
but we can only achieve that together, if we stay together
Be there for each other
We can find ourselves in each other
So say something,
Break away this silence
This emptiness inside us that feels like there is nothing left to fight for
We are what we should fight for
Say something,
Hold me close and don't let go

I regret words i never said
Chances I never took
Opportunities I never made
I regret not going all the way
Not fighting everyday,
For great things are hard to get
I wish I knew that before quitting the race
I regret not trying once again
Not embracing the pain
So I could see the sunshine after the rain

Say something,
Do not leave me hanging
Anxiety is killing me
Let me in on a secret that devours your heart
Put me in the know I can tell you its all right
and if it is not I will stick by your side
Still got your back
When it is bright and when it is dark
When it is best and when it is not
When you are high and when you are low
Just know I wont let go
We are broken yes,
Shattered by our pasts into fragile pieces
but together we are whole, united, undefeated
That crack in our souls let us seal it with kisses
When the world is destroyed and everything is gone
The worst way to go is when you are all alone
So say something,
Do not waste these seconds
Time is precious than any valuable treasure
If you wait too long you may lose me forever
and all I want is to be with you forever
Even if forever ends tomorrow
Say something,
Save us from an eternity of sorrow

As you will regret words you never say
Chances you never take
Opportunities you never make
You will regret not going all the way
Not fighting everyday,
For great things are hard to get
You should know that before starting the race
Coz you will regret not trying once again
Not embracing the pain
So you may see the sunshine after the rain
So you may see the sunshine after the rain.

Say something..

(c)Zuhura Seng'enge
~A. L 2016