Memory works by association, we all know this. Still though, not all associations do what you want them to do with your memory. I find myself sitting in a taxi from Kotoka airport (I had entirely forgotten that name)and not feeling a thing. Ghana now, is Ghana now. Not Ghana then. I am even remembering […]
moreI watch the pianist, I watch the singer. They are alike. When they lose themselves, and allow the music to absorb them. And for a moment accept the pain that comes with their talent. And they have been humbled into primary beings. And even seem to forget we are watching them. And perhaps unintentionally show […]
moreI learned a lot today. Maybe some days are supposed to be about learning while other are about execution. Perhaps learning days take months, even years. I share work space with various artists who work in different disciplines. This morning, one of the women explained how she was unsure about a piece she had made. […]
moreThey stomped around on stage in scarlet red. The woman, and the man. He was tall and lanky, his hands were too big for his body and obviously this is what a lot of flamenco is about: the hands. His long hair. A delicate man. He annoyed me. Why? Because he wasn’t dancing. He was […]
moreOn that same bus, a different woman enters. Her shoulders are slumped forward, her eyes droop. Her mouth is half open. She is not entirely compos mentis. She shifts from left to right, looks around and so I ask whether she needs help getting into the now empty chair next to me. She mumbles something […]
moreA girl in her twenties comes to sit next to me on the bus. She smells of chocolate. I instantly feel like eating her. And doesn't my scarf suddenly smell awfull musty? I glance sideways to see what she looks like. Long, peroxide blonde hair. Heavy make-up. A bold nose she tries to hide under […]
moreMen here, women there. Words of wisdom everywhere. Contain your truth, maintain your roof. The one over your head. The one that rises and rises until your cries – the cries, those cries, yes – are heard. By the skies. The gods and the angels and the powers that be, will see. They will see. […]
moreThere they all were, sitting in the window sill of a toy store. Sleepy smurf and grumpy smurf being my particular favorites. I suppose that says a lot about me at age 9. And suddenly they’re back, laughing at me that same way they laughed at me back then. I was never good at collecting. I’d […]
more“How are you, dear?” my mother asks. I can tell by her voice something’s wrong. She’s a little too uppity, cheery. She’s worried about something she’s done. She’s worried about how I’ll react. Even though I have long stopped being the child who’s reactions can be fierce. “We had a wonderful trip,” my mother says, […]
moreThe people who bring you down. Why? Why cry, girl, why? Do their words ring true? Only to you, they do. Do they echo the things you say to yourself? What you just said is stupid, girl. What you wrote is ugly, girl. What were you thinking, girl. Give it up, girl. Go home, girl, […]
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