She, Ocean, sells neither shoes nor seashells on the seashore.The shoes she carries are not hers, I’m sure.For if she sells shoes on the seashore,then I’m sure she sells seashells too on the seashore.But she sells neither shoes nor seashells on the seashore. We, humans, sell both shoes and seashells offshore.The seashells we sell are…
I sat on a mat beneath an imagined mango tree. There, the happiness and sorrows of my heart found a place as stories and poetry on paper. I joined the birds flying above the tree, singing Kiswahili songs that made me ululate. The tree danced from melodies of the heart, gifting ample juicy fruits to…
Today’s prompt challenges to write a palinode – a poem in which you retract a view or sentiment expressed in an earlier poem. For example, you might pick a poem you drafted earlier in the month and write a poem that contradicts or troubles it. This could be an interesting way to start working on…
The founder of World Children’s Poetry Day invites children of age ten and below to celebrate WoChiPoDa 2023 on Saturday, 7 October. Our tradition has been to share a theme for the annual event, and this year, our theme is PLANTS. Mwanzilishi wa Siku ya Ushairi wa Watoto Duniani anamwalika kila mtoto wa miaka 10…
A week ago, I attended the sixtieth Bologna Children’s Books Fair. The fair was a four-day event from Monday, 6 to Thursday, 9 March 2023, and I participated on Wednesday and Thursday. Even though wisdom has it that the fair is not worthwhile for self-published authors, I desired the experience of visiting a book fair…
Besides my books, a list of publications and platforms where my writings appear is below.
In December 2022 and January 2023, I had an opportunity to donate books to the Tanzania Library Service Board (TLSB) through the Kilimanjaro Regional Library. For writers in the diaspora, one way to reach readers at home is to represent each other at events or walk-ins at institutions, as I did. I am grateful to…
A tautogram poem is a poem where all words in the poem begin with the same letter. I picked the letter C to highlight festive things that collectively mark the arrival of December. This writing is my first attempt at this form, and I hope it reads like a poem. Clocks crispy chimesChris-tmas!Chris-tmas! crochetingcozy crafts…
Hello! Below are some of my writings related to the holiday season. Happy holidays and thank you for stopping by my writing wall. Simply click on the bolded titles. Festive Nostalgia For A Tanzanian Christmas. An Igby Prize for Nonfiction essay on Tanzanian Christmas. A Season’s Prayer. A poem and prayer. December Spirit. A poem….
KILIMANJARO Kilimanjaro:the snow dances with summer,in the savanna. REACHING FOR HEAVEN Reaching for heaven:no fog or smog can detera standing mountain. DISROBING Night in misty cloak,the moon disrobes the mountainin the bed of stars. *First published on Vocal Media