She was an Arabian beauty, surrounded by an aura of innocence, which aided the pull that attracted me directly under her hammer. I perceived the fragrance of blest Arabian oil from her skin and peeped through her green eyes into her inner woman.

I saw the hammer, the heavy hammer suspended in the air right above my head. The hammer of Fatima. The hammer which was controlled by her metaphysical strength. I was mindless of the hammer because I still looked into her inner woman.

She was a dreamer, who dreamt and believed in them, a “cheerful give” who gave only to the needy. She was a lover, so we did what lovers do and made vows of love everlasting. She always swore by her holy books, which gave me a cynical sense of holiness. She was desperate for matrimony, so I was willing to genuinely fulfil her desire. She narrated her most painful heartbreaking experience to me, so it appealed to my sympathy and I allowed my emotion to overtake my intellect. She wanted all immediately, so I, without hesitation, gave all my good passions. Because of the gravity of the haste I gave some bad ones too.

She gradually knew I had an uncontrollable passion for her, so she raped my conscience, and my judgement between good and evil always relied on hers. I was deceived by her generosity and her honey-coated prayers, so I didn’t see the serpent in her tongue. She knew I was drowned in her soul, so she drew her hammer closer to my head.

She also wanted me to wed her religion. I adhered, because I was already blinded by her natural charms. Worst of all, she said I must study Arabic. To me, that demand was like suicide bombing; I thought for a while, and I said to myself, if I die struggling with Arabic, may my soul be buried in her bosom.

To no avail her demands were. By the divine hand of God, her dream’s prophecies and hallucinations were stopped in a land far from where we dwelt, like the prophecy of Sister Lucy in Fatima (Portugal).

While I concentrated on the descent of the hammer, I lost total control and denounced my dignity. I cried, I cried broken-hearted tears, I begged for mercy but she insisted on releasing the hammer. As she did, I became drunk and I also lost my ex-spirit.

My ex-spirit got into my body on my birth date and on my birth date the following year, she finally left my body.
From the effect of the released hammer, I staggered towards the doctrine of karma: “The implications of the doctrine of karma is that we cannot blame anyone else for our sufferings. Of course this does not mean that others are not accountable; they will reap the reward of their action”.

I also staggered toward the sayings of King Lemuel’s mother:  "o my son, o son of my womb, o son of my vows, do not spend your strength on women, your vigour on those who ruin kings............” (Proverbs. 31,1-3).

I can still see her hammer lifted once again, controlled by her metaphysical strength, waiting for her next victim.

PRAYERS FOR THE DISTURBED SOULS

I pray for those of us who strayed from the divine path made for us, to identify and acknowledge the lessons meant for us, for our spiritual, moral and mental growth.

I pray that those who have killed for love, irrespective of where they are, should realise that there is no justification for murder.

I pray for the spirit of those who have died or are about to die from heart-break, to realise that it is acute ignorance that drives one to that thought.

I am observing nine months of silence, with my pen between my lips for Abdullah who took poison and died on a mountain-top after being neglected by a woman he thought was his “Jamila”.

By Adogiye Opubo Ayerite
Edited by Rita Mazzotta

NOTE: The names used in this piece are all fictional and the story concerns both genders.

The force which governs nature is omnipotent and an infinite, onward force. It will not condone any other hindering element fighting against its forwardness. Thus by its omnipotence, destroys or detaches any agent preventing its onward progression.

This piece tells us about man's perpetual rush for material assets, while he pretends to accept, but neglects his spiritual assets which is the essence of his being. It also tells us how its negative effects reflect on our environment, which inevitably is the home of nature and man.

This piece, reminds us of the extent of man's hatred for man, man blinding his soul's eye which is his conscience, masturbating chaos at will, also at war with nature by poisoning his atmosphere, causing heart and earthquakes, diseases, accidents and pre-mature deaths. These chaotic effects, I believe, are effects of retribution as nature's solution in her defence.

Prophetically, this piece reveals that, after these cataclysms, there will be hope for those who adhere to the ever roaring voice of nature, and punishment for those who never embraced the brotherhood between nature and man.

NATURE AND MAN

A new road will be made.
For the purified to be paid.
Through the dark forest.
Into lands of tranquillity and rest.

Behold the dawn of a new millennium is here.
The rush for materialism in its shield is clear.
Many are possessed and tempted.
Some are confused and mind wounded.

Evil for evil.
God against devil.
Nemesis happily ready.
And patiently happy.
Pouncing on her enemy.

Man against man to grind.
Even mind against soul's eye to blind.
Man fighting against nature.
Even nature poisoned by torture.

Man exposed to diseases.
Even accidents and death crises.
Seasons with no reasons.
Losing some beloved persons.

My brothers, don't be afraid.
A new road will be made.
The hard hearted must be paid.
And there will be no aid.

Destruction shall be executed by the dragon.
Devil must be visited by Armageddon.
The purified shall follow nature's golden path.
For this millennium beautiful start.

By Adogiye Opubo Ayerite

Note: I pray for the souls lost after the earthquake in Haiti to rest in peace.  I also pray that the survivors maintain the resilience and fortitude to carry on.

How to avoid being hurt, pain and disappointment in relationships

I see you. Yes you, with the big smile on your face but internally you’re bleeding. With the bronzer shining so bright on your cheeks and yet you feel so dull and empty deep down within you.

With the nice big fake eye lashes, trapping those tears you are concealing. With that shiny gloss on your lips that’s preventing you from speaking out your pain.

Yes you walk with stride, with your head high up.... you appear so confident to the eyes of man, but you feel insecure deep down inside you. Your body, beautiful skin and features command attention but you feel like a servant.

Some look at you and call you the angry black woman. To some you appear strong but deep down inside you are really bitter. You can’t trust any man because you had so much love to give and it was abused.
You know what it’s like to stand by someone emotionally, financially and physically and yet get betrayed. You know what it’s like to love someone regardless of what you’ve heard and how they act and yet get repaid by hurt. You’ve shed tears in the past, but now... you no longer weep.

You are immune to pain now, there’s nothing anyone can say that can ever break you. Because what they want to break is already broken. No one see this, no one knows this.

I understand your pain. I know what it’s like to get so close to someone and get too scared to even confide in them. Why? Because the ghosts from the past start appearing in your mind... and you start thinking that this new one is also going to do to you what has been done before. So you shut down this person completely and get content in loneliness.

Hurt? People expect you to deal with hurt so simply... but they can never understand how deep you’ve been cut. You take longer to heal. Just when you think you’ve healed there comes a person who is ready to put some salt in the wound, and cut you 10 inches deeper than before.

So what do you do then in a situation like this? Don’t stop being a lady; just start changing how you think. Ladies, you can never heal from your pain if you don’t deal with the root causes. Forgive whoever hurts you. Yes forgive and wish them well.

What we tend to do as ladies is to forget our hurt without forgiving. I know a lot of ladies can relate to the above... but you know what? Sometimes we have no one else to blame but ourselves, so until we take control of our lives and certain situations, we’ll spend the rest of our lives trying to adjust to pain.

I see a lot of women, some in their 40’s still battling the issues I defeated a year ago and it breaks my heart that we take something as big as experience so lightly in relationships. I’m a scholar of life and here is what I have learnt in my all failed relationships and I hope this helps you too. So the next time you walk confidently in stride, with your head high up make sure this isn’t a front but how you are feeling deep down inside of you.

So how do we avoid going through the same hurt, pain and disappointment in relationships? I’ve came to the conclusion that men are very simple creatures, us women make them complicated and end up creating our own hurt (at times).

1) When you first meet a man, before anything else, make sure you find out if this man is on the track in order to get where he wants to be.. because until he figures out where he is going and how he is going to get there you will only fit into the cracks of his life.
2) Stop assuming that every man you meet wants to be in a serious relationship and don’t think that you can ever change his view on relationships. Make sure you establish the relationship you are both after before you get serious with someone who is only after a casual relationship. You’re only setting yourself up for hurt if you do so.
3) If you’re officially dating or in a relationship with someone, make sure he gives you a title. If you’re truly his woman, he should be able to tell anybody and everybody about you. If you’ve been “dating” for a few years and he still introduces you to people with your first name or as his “friend” then that’s what you probably are to him.
4) Does he provide for you? I don’t mean financially... I mean how does he cater to your emotional and physical needs? Can you rely on him to do simple things for you, or you’re at the bottom of his priorities? If you are, that says something.
5) Do you feel protected when you are with him?
6) Most men are looking for a sport or a keeper. So you have to know what you are. A Sports woman doesn’t have any rules, requirements or respect for herself. Men can smell this no matter how good you are at pretending. A keeper never gives in easily and commands respect just by the way she carries herself.
7) Any man who laughs at your standards and shows minimal respect to your values is not to be pursued. He’s just looking for a sport. Pursuing him can result in hurt.

My ladies, many times we get hurt because we allow silly things right from the beginning of a relationship. I know I have done so in the past. It doesn’t have to continue being like that. There are a lot of good men out there and until we heal our pain from the past and move on from it and the victim mentalities, we’ll keep on dating the same type of men but with different names.

Don’t rush into a relationship with the next person that shows a bit of interest. Have standards and see if those standards can be met and can sustain you in a long term relationship. I find it rather sad that a lot of women are incomplete and are looking for someone to complete them. You can’t find anyone who will complete you until you complete yourself first. Develop yourself first, demand respect by respecting yourself, don’t be afraid to state your standards even if it means you “losing” that guy. If he’s turned off by your standards then he’s not the one for you.

Be blessed.

By Nyasha Tafari ‘Ardbody

Many a times, social integration has either been regarded a taboo or merely pushed under the carpet due to its, so thought, minimum significance. But events and changing times have proven otherwise. Hence the need to instil this 'modern virtue' to avoid social conflicts.

It’s crystal clear that poor or bad politics, lack of information, fear and ignorance reign supreme in determining one's perception of what perfect integration should be.

The media also play a major role in this process. Therefore, it's blurred or biased portrayal may easily lead to the misconception of such a fragile subject.

Most of the people I interviewed admitted their neutral stand on the topic while some mistook it for assimilation, whereas the latter means absorbing the other culture and not just constituting an essential part of it. We should also bear in mind that diversity can only be an asset if managed well.

With that said, it doesn't take a genius to acknowledge that a fair system allows people to truly express who they are in the society.

Double standard codes based on one's background, intolerance and prejudice only act as drawbacks in the quest for a perfect integration.

In this case, tolerance is meant to be the capacity of recognizing and respecting the beliefs or practices of others.

Bad politics also create unnecessary barriers. These include numerous affirmations on racial superiority, downplaying of other religions and diversion of the masses' attention from what the real socio-economic problems are.

Some politicians have made it a habit to preach the ills of unifying a diverse rather than striving to restore calm in an already fragile community. This has resulted in growing tensions between the middle class citizen down the ladder and the immigrants. There is a desperate call for better politics, laws and policies which advocate equal status for various ethnic groups. That is when diversity will be appreciated.

Fear and ignorance often are contagious factors, especially if propagated by influential sources. An example is the widespread fear of the Muslims after the 9/11 tragedy. Some media institutions even go as far as promoting hate campaigns whose victims are often the minorities.

For some, the latter only become newsworthy when they are involved in negative activities. A sad truth is that the immigrants' success stories are either given less attention or never put to light at all. All these contribute to the ever growing intolerance due to lack of information and or diffusion of manipulated material in a bid to draw a thick line between 'us' and 'them'.

Some may argue that culture is one definable thing based on one race or religion.

But it's undeniable that it is the result of multiple factors that change as the world changes. It is therefore advisable that we promote minority festivals, newspapers, languages, music, arts and encourage minority representation in politics.

Social integration has to be considered a vital recipe of coexistence in a multicultural or multiethnic community.

Just like Malcolm X once said: "Sitting at the table doesn't make you a diner, unless you eat some of what's on that plate".

So let us advocate for equal rights and not just base our fights on ideological lines or pseudo-patriotism.

By so doing, we can help build bridges and avoid erecting unnecessary fences around us.

By Eugine Otieno