i tried to wait for you • i didn’t want to leave without seeing you • but something came up • they said it was urgent • that it couldn’t wait • i wish i hadn’t listened • i wish i waited • i wanted to be there when you first opened your eyes • i wanted my smile to be the first light you saw • it wouldn’t be as bright as the sun • but it would be genuine • i even bought a polaroid • your mother showed me how to use it • we had it all planned out • we would do a shoot once you made a week • it’s been three weeks now • your mother says you’re beautiful • i refuse to see pictures • i know it’s wei ..read more

your smile is like the dirtiest page of my favorite book, the one I land on without even meaning to, the one that drifts to the front of mind in the middle of the night, the one i have read a thousand times but i still get surprised by, the one i reread every day because i’m sure its magic is the kind that can never wear out ..read more

if you ever looked in my direction, i would have come running. if they said you’d be waiting for me at the finish line, i would have defeated the wind. and even if, God forbid, i didn’t find you there, i would send the wind to find your scent, then i would set up camp and wait for you. and if; by sheer bad luck, the wind came back empty-handed, i would die, sad, but hopeful that my eyes would some day behold your face. that my hands would one day touch yours. strangers would find these shoes of mine. these shoes would tell of how i searched for you. how i longed for you ..read more

I woke up sooner than I wanted to because you sneaked into my dreams. I’ve been trying not to think of you because every time I do, the cracks in my heart widen a little. I talk to God about you. I ask Him to lighten your load, to watch over you; I don’t know what I mean but I think He understands. In the dream, I heard your voice, Your laughter filled my mind, I could feel your presence; I caught myself smiling. I guess I should call you. I don’t know if you’ll pick up. You didn’t the last time. There’s a lot for us to go over, a lot I still don’t understand, a lot I would like for you t ..read more

Dearest reader, I know it’s been over eight months since we spoke; two hundred forty one days to be exact. Believe me, I tried to find my way back here but the waves of life kept pulling me further away. I’m sort of back now so let’s try this again, shall we? What I’ve been up to? Well,… I’ve been: Enjoying love: He asked me to marry him. I didn’t see it coming. I didn’t imagine he could pull off such a grand surprise; but when I saw him that night, knee on the ground, tiny box in hand, joy pulsed through my body. I couldn’t contain myself. My mind went blank. Let’s start at the beginning. So ..read more

From a distance, 2021 looked like a sequel to 2020. People made jokes about going to the bush after the election yet deep down prayed for peace. The truth is, this year has been a lot; from the election to the second wave of Covid-19, to the endless lockdown to the elusive COVID relief… I’m just grateful we’re alive to reminisce about it. Let’s catch up on the highs and lows, shall we? The year started well. My blog got nominated in the 2020 Afrobloggers Awards in the Personal blog category and I was first runner up. As my first win of the year, it was the light I needed going into the tunnel ..read more

A delightful review of my poetry collection: These Things. sharoncuban Are you seated? No!! Okay..Grab a seat. Let me tell you about “These Things”. Book cover Written by Ugandan author; Elizabeth Awori. “These things” is a collection of poems and prose by Elizabeth Awori. The author uses the two genres to deliver a great deal of impassioned poetry and coherent prose thematically connected and deeply rooted in personal experience, and general societal themes. Written in mainly two narrative forms; first person and second person, the book conveys hyper imaginative thoughts, feelings a ..read more

A beautiful review of my poetry collection. Henry's Blog In her debut collection of poems, Lisa talks pain, love, heartbreak and home. Her poems about love and pain are so relatable; so much that she sucks you in and drags you along; you become one with the persona. In the first section of the book, she writes about love in glowing terms with the flowery images of the sun, the water that doesn’t drown but quenches. It’s all bliss and beautiful. She praises her lover and revels in love. The second section, though, strikes a sharp contrast. What was rosy and beautiful turns bitter. The qu ..read more

“The last time anyone made me feel this way, I ended up in ashes. “ This thing is familiar. I know it all too well. First it feels necessary, essential, like a cup of tea after a heavy downpour. A small antidote to a thick poison. That’s how it feels; like an antidote. An antidote to my loneliness. And I know my loneliness – my loneliness is the quiet kid in class, the one who doesn’t act up for attention. The one who doesn’t speak unless spoken to. And if she’s not spoken to, she forgets how to speak. My loneliness is like that, if I ignore her long enough, she pretends to disappear. But n ..read more

Today I went to the village – my father’s ancestral home. I was last here last year. I found grandpa seated on the veranda of their house. Grandma; in her green gomesi was seated on the kitchen veranda. They were both unshelling groundnuts as hens and ducks played at their feet. As soon as she saw me, grandma, beaming with joy, tried to get up but her occasionally frail legs failed her. Normally, I would have run into her arms. But the times are far from normal. We couldn’t even shake hands. She welcomed me to sit on the mat with her. I went over to greet grandpa. He recently lost his sight d ..read more