Tag Archive | Africa

I belong

Nov12

We feel the need to belong

To be accepted

To be similar to those around us

To fit in

But what if we embrace otherness

Accept the uniqueness of our experiences

The difference in the colour of our skin

Or the country we come from

Realizing that underneath

All these seeming differences

We are one

We all come from Africa

The devisions we have created 

Are manmade

Differences can be good if we accept them

And are aware of the underlying oneness

I belong to the human family

And my experiences in life

Make me the unique human being that I am

And that uniqueness

That otherness

Is on the surface

Deep inside we are all one

And when I understand that 

I will feel like I belong

No matter where I am

IMG_7178November 12th, 2018

We all come from Africa

Mar10

Seeing oneness instead of otherness
Seeing kindness, joy and creativity
Instead of the colour of someone’s skin

Seeing the invisible part of us
Instead of the clothes our spirit wears

Otherness is created by us
It doesn’t have a basis in reality
We all come from Africa
No matter how we appear now

Otherness has divided us for too long
It’s time to take steps toward oneness
It’s time to look at someone’s qualities
Rather than their country of birth

It’s time to see with our inner eye
We all come from Africa
March 10th, 2016

The beautiful continent

Feb15

So what do you do when you have been dreaming
Of something for years and years
And suddenly the dream becomes a reality
Without you planning it?

I’m talking about my trip to Africa
A dream that has been with me for a long time
Like a loyal friend

My great great grandmother hails from this land
Her story an intriguing one
She was brought to Iran to work
At the home of the Master of the house
But Became his second wife

She was beautiful, I hear
But we don’t know which country she was from
Her story is shrouded in mystery
Mysterious like the continent she is from

So, it’s to her land of birth that I go
With hope and expectation
To the land of wonderful people with
Radiant smiles
To the land of music, dance and drums!

February 15th, 2016

A letter to my daughter

Jan13

January 11th, 2015
Dear Natalie,
My daughter, in Zambia
I’m sending you a letter
Since the Internet is not always on

You had to call us long distance
On your cell phone
And God knows how much
The roaming charges will be
But that’s what parents are for
No worries

The spiders and the beetles in your room
Have conspired against you
They keep an eye on you day and night
But perhaps you’re in their space
Not the other way around

The monkeys are cute I hear
And there are snakes around
You’d start thinking you were in Africa!

The weather is warm
And the people are warm
If that’s too much heat
I wish I could send you some snow

Natalie, dear
Enjoy your time there
You’re creating memories
That will be with you always…