African Inscribed

  Why are you this way? What is absolutely wrong? You crave for kindness and attention so bad and when you are lovingly shown, you hurry back into The Cave.  Deep meditations and contemplations against why you never stop running from commitments, why actions involving isolating yourself from everyone keeps rearing its head and why 'change' isn't viral in the little emotions left in you, continuously arises. You return into what you once were like the Prodigal son, in this case, daughter. Sad. Cold. Bitter. Empty. Blaming. Selfpitituous. Lost. I understand all that you've seen and being through ... Even those traumatic incidents that ne'er stops resurfacing in packages tagged as 'Nightmare'. You actually confide in no-one (even when you did, you only let out bits in long paragraphs to those who ever cared to know). You never sleep early. You stay up late all nights to clear the head that never cleared. Thinking, writhing in pains, crying. And when you eventua...

  "Take me! Take all of me inside youu. Purge life out of this body. Seize my spirit, bottle my soul, burn it! Strip me of my skin", she moaned softly with pleasure while he kissed her in an uncultured manner, his big hands around her waist. The people roundabout them were about two dozens. Beautiful people. They had on black tailored suits; the men. And the women, sombre dresses. "Freue mich sehr für meine Tochter …" (really glad for my daughter), Cranoai's Mom, Thora, broke the tense silence in the room and everyone turned to pass a stern frown, index finger fixed tight on their lips. She pouted. "Deaaaaaar … from the deepest bottom of this dark heart”, thumps chest, “I give my life unto you this day", she repeated after the hooded Clergyman standing in the circle with them. He was clothed in a huge black cape.  "I submit my dãmned soul to you, my sturdy bones and blo. ody flesh", he uttered turning a page from an ancient book stretched abo...

  He was seven and well above his mother's claws, he used to think. Left the house whenever he liked and returned however he wanted. When news from the headquarters of a farm his mother works at got leaked, she knew her family was in danger. Few months ago, the terrorist attacks downtown had caused public unrest, a lot of lives had been wasted so immediately day broke, she prepared the kids and within some minutes, they were ready but her oldest son was out. They waited long hours for his return but he didn't. She took the rest of her kids to The Safe Place in the next town then hurried back home before sunset for him. He was home a minute before midnight looking rough and smelling dirty.  “WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?”, she yelled and he cackled, walking to his room, “You know you're wasting your time asking”  “Whatever. We are leaving this place. The Landlords of these shelters in the neighborhood are terrorists. I never knew until yesterday”, she sighed, “Upon the rent we paid...

  "Soo . . . how would you like to die?," One of the Coroners requested and the rest of his colleagues paused what they had been about doing, staring at him with special eyes. "I favour my loss of life private. Like a small get-together; without hassles and too many people, I mean . . . I'd like to die in a place no one would discover it handy to understand--"  "Just like this scene and case, right?" The tall man dressed in hospital-green overalls; The Coroner, asked.  Ignoring, I continued, "I favour my loss of life to be an eye opener to all people who saw me as immortal, proud and stupid . . . maybe they'll be at ease ample or feel a tiny bit of remorse/regret on their part that whom they disliked and who was once in charge of triggering their without difficulty aggravated being, was sooner or later away from giving them the 'barf urge' forever. When I die, I favour those who would fake 'care and concern' to drop dead too. I...

  Her mother stared at me like I was dying, like the stilts holding the world in order were soon to snap and crush me over and I hated it. I saw her look at my elder brother the same way six months ago, the next day, he was no more. We never saw him again, not even a part of his body. ************** I was in the yard one evening when news of a rapidly spreading virus was uttered in hushed tones by neighbours—the landlady and her children. From the intensity of their voices, I sensed panic but I didn't mind then. I believed it was a temporary situation and the government could easily take care of it. The lockdown began on the 30th of March 2020. It was way cool at first; you get to be indoors, no stressing over deadlines and meetings, eat, sleep and wake any time you wanted. After three months, coping became impossible. Savings were thinning/exhausted, cost of feeding had increased, and a rigid curfew was installed. The hunger was real. Homes, companies and stores were burgled ever...