Tariku's Droplets

Ode to *Sengbe Pieh (By Tariku Abas Etenesh ) J ust the other day, I was walking by the shore lines of *Mende, Where I looked foot prints on the sand, Not disturbed by the ebbs and tides, Nor washed by the winds; Wondering how it remained, By sea or land breeze undisturbed; I looked around in search of any wise mind, With the knowledge of the ‘why’ and ‘how’ Of the feet that pressed the marks so deep and hard, “Whose foot prints are these?” I asked, For which, I got a reply from a teacher of some kind,  “ Never knew or cared to; must be some one’s, But why worry yourself with the past, any way ?” Then the teacher walked away. Stunned by the futility of the reply, For the answer, along the trace did I stay; Only at night when the moon joined the ebbs, In what looked an eternal whisper of serenity, Composed in the rhymes of the tides and the sands, The moon looked down on me  with a smile, And said “I can tell you the s...

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 Improvise   ( Tariku Abas- Etenesh)  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A life that labors less to improvise, is a captive of the past devoid of surprises; Like a mastodon frozen beneath tons of ice, With freshness of looks and stillness of stance, Worthy of archeology, in blindfolded gaze.    (PTS, 2009 )

“Pull Up!”   ( Tariku Abas Etenesh ) H ave you ever read an article that starts with instruction and ends up with questions? Well if you haven’t had that experience, this is your chance to read one. My instruction: Read the following lines and take a few seconds to reflect. Who do you think is involved and in what situation do you think the following dialogue took place?  A: “Pull Up!” “Pull Up!”.  B: “What does ‘pull up’ mean?” If you guessed it was a conversation between two people where one had no idea of what the instruction “pull-up” meant, well, unfortunately your surmise  didn't  hit the target.  It was an unfortunate exchange between a ground proximity warning system (GPWS) and a captain. The exchange was caught on a cockpit voice recorder just moment before a flight ended in a disastrous crash that claimed the lives of all who were on board, both passengers and crew in an Asian country. Though shocki...

I sometime think all free souls should have such self-talk: Life for me is not about what others think I am not; and much less so about what others think I should be; I know I deserve the mind set that says: I am as good as the courage and confidence I should have to deal with happening in my life not as comments on my manhood but just a residue of an honored life; a life that is not disturbed neither by triumph nor by failure.

The Few ( Tariku Abas Etenesh) -------------------------------------------------------------------- I read in the notebook of an old man, Who was craving to tell me the secrets of his tears, Whenever he stood and looked at my life’s path. I never gave him time, though; “I was busy”, Between doing nothing and getting dizzy; and following the mass and decrying my own bliss, For the vogue and acceptance I badly had to make fuss; Many false starts and mistakes away,  Once I casually-towards the old man- turned, Yet the old man was gone;save the notebook he left for me to read: In his note I read: “Life has many ends, not one, When the mass is busy degrading itself, Under the pretence of normalcy or its proof, In sermons of parroting and calls for a masquerade, Pleading to emulate someone or something dead; Embellishing a known ego vilified the ‘common good,’ Beware, my son, you look out for the few around, Who into a life of delusion nor de...

I am an Oasis   ( Tariku Abas Etenesh) My heart has this sweet lullaby, Of fewer notes that always say: When you feel like an oasis in the desert of being, With springs and purest of waters, Be worried not of the desert blazing, Nor be too proud of the caravans, Taking respite under your shades; Nor be too worried of their resignation either; Whether thirsts are quenched by you or not,      Say: I am an oasis in the desert of being, And that is enough a cause for me to sing.  ................