The Future Crop and Farm Hands

The turmoil in my heart hinders
My pen from flowing
Tons of despair embodied in my mind
Atoms of thoughts
All up in my head
They can never be greater than us
Unless our days on earth are cut short
To the glory of the creator
No man however worldly endowed

Can cheat nature’s call
The dark clouds must part
Curtains for the blue sky
The sky must give way for the rains
To pour and polish the earth
Even when the rains are waged by
The prowess of rain makers
Gravity must pull in
When it does, it barks shouts

Of torrential downpour
Splashing and slashing holdings
The dry season is to plough and sow
The rainy season for cultivation and growth
The harvest, is ripe after full bloom
No plough, no sow, no rains, no growth
Gives birth to famine in the land
The farmer no matter how skilled and able
Can never produce all farm produce

As well as tend the plantations alone
He must employ worthy hands
Certainly, a stage comes when his hands
Are to shaky to hold hoe
Brain, overtly brimmed with figures
To sum up the ledger accounts
He must seek reverence in his cabin
Handing over the states of all affairs
To young positive goal driven managers and foremen

To sow a fresh seed on a stale soil
Previously used to plant some particular crops
The root of the old plants must be uprooted
The soil most undergo great tillage
In readiness for the birth of new plants
There’s no possibility, plantain
Can grow simultaneously from a yam plantation
The yams will seasonally turn the plantain pup
To mashed mellows

The consumer communities have been fed
With too much carbohydrate
Requesting, demanding and pleading
For a change in supply
They want protein plantains
The in take of too much carbohydrate
Deters the human body from healthy growth
Weighing the mind and body for half a season
Consumption of different classes of food

Supers growth and enriches the body
Sowing seedlings of yam and plantain
On same plantation at a go
Would have the carbohydrate dampening
The mechanism of the proteins
With their hardened, scratchy peels
Very upsetting to the sights
And summons bitter bile waste to the land
Pricking the fine pulps of the proteins

Dodo is now weak in body
And weaker in mind
The plantation needs able bodies with strong minds
The plantation operation systems needs quality repackaging
It needs uproot and great tilling of the soil
Dodo seek rest and stock in your starched yam barns
And let in younger managers, foremen, laborers
Take over the population’s production of proteins
As my thoughts pounded so my ink pumped

Copyright: Gift Amukoyo
Written: October 11, 2014

Sewage problems in Theale

The issue:

The Lambfields site in Theale has for a number of years had problems with sewers flooding, which has required large tankers to park for long periods of time and pump sewage out. During wet weather, some roads in Theale were affected by sewage flooding and some properties also suffered sewage back-ups.

Achievements to date:

Alok has lobbied Thames Water for action to resolve the flooding issues caused by blocked pipes and old pumping equipment.

Alok held two public meetings for residents to receive updates on works with Thames Water.

Thames water agreed to carry out works including:

• Upgrade the pumping station to increase the efficiency of the existing pumps, which should reduce the need to rely on tankers
• Provide special sealing plates on manhole covers to divert surface rainwater from waste water system to prevent the sewers from overflowing
• Clear any pipes that are known to be blocked
• Carry out a CCTV survey to identify any further problems or defects in the pipe system

Alok says:

“Having your home flooded with sewage is absolutely dreadful, so I am delighted that after several years of suffering, residents will get some relief from the sewage tankers and work is being done to prevent flooding from occurring in the future. I will continue to make sure that the right level of investment from Thames Water goes into improving the sewage system in Theale.”

THE BROKEN POT

The dusk is nigh,

I will once again place my rattled bone

On this soiled land filled with our leaders’ farts

Let them clatter!

And sing rhythms to posterity

I wish not for a resting place called grave

Save the land of my ancestors

We have threaded on vacant lands,

Followed wrong tracts

And shown love in the opposite direction of the wind

But that the chants of our ancestors be true,

We keep moving, hoping to follow the footsteps of old

With hearts connected to the unseen future,

Pledging our loyalty

Our fate has been shattered by injustice

Yet we live in awe of long-laid principles

Shall we rebuild the tower of a true service?

That our fathers may rest in peace?

Till my carcass leaves my bone to scorn

I will fight for freedom

And remould the broken pot

Moulded by our ancestors

In it lie wise words of our fathers

Before then,

Let my silence in serving loyally

Pay homage to our ascendants and descendants

DEAR FAMILY, FRIENDS AND FANS,

ITS THE MOMENT EVERYONE HAS BEEN WAITING FOR AS THE LITERARY WORLD HAVE BEEN ASKING, WHICH OF THE THREE OF THE TEN FINALISTS WILL BE SHORT-LISTED FOR THE Tony Tokunbo Fernandez INTERNATIONAL POETRY COMPETITION AND WHO WILL BE CROWNED THE POET OF THE YEAR?

EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE THREE SHORT- LISTED WINNERS, I AM PROUD TO SAY IN MY BOOK, THEY ARE ALL WINNERS, WITH A GREAT FUTURE AHEAD OF THEM AND I WILL DO THE LITTLE I CAN, TO EMPOWER THEIR LITERARY CAMPAIGNS NOW IN THE FUTURE

About Alok

BIO – BARBARA TAH GWANMESIA

Barbara Gwanmesia is one of a small group of artists and academics who have managed to gain a following in two independent fields: writing and singing. Born in Cameroon, Barbara took to singing and writing instinctively – settling in the Netherlands as a researcher, writer, editor and singer. Her almost fanatical focus on reverence for life has led to the use of her music, writing and research as instruments of hope and opportunity for herself and others.

AS A SINGER

Almost unobserved, Barbara Gwanmesia has quietly grown on audiences around the world, turning unsuspecting heavyweights like New York’s Deep-House legend Jephte Guillaume and South Africa’s parliamentarian Alan Winde into instant fans. When Archbishop Desmond Tutu, along with an audience of over 1300 listeners in the Dutch city of Deventer, rose emotionally to her A-capella delivery of How Great Thou Art, Barbara’s fan base moved from musical legends, political bigwigs, business and corporate leaders to Nobel laureates. With Acapella renditions that slide from dramatic depths of longing to vast realms of delight, Barbara fuses lyrical dialectics unimaginable to the ear never once exposed to the croon of her voice. Born in Cameroon at a time when South Africa’s Makeba and Mali’s Keita were making their marks on different levels, Barbara grew up soaked in both artists’ expansive range. But it would be Makeba’s use of music to inform, empower and educate that set the bar for Barbara – placing music’s relevance for her far beyond the arts. With a voice variously described as “Golden”, “Healing”, “Sensual” and “Dramatic”, Barbara has sung for ambassadors, mayors, national political leaders, heads of industry and a varied public.

AS A WRITER

Barbara Tah Gwanmesia began writing at the age of 12, producing stories that resulted in her award- winning first Novel Vasona’s Secret. In the course of the years, Barbara has written poetry, syndicated columns and books. Her first non-fiction is a real life legal thriller with a foreword by Holland’s most illustrious crime reporter Peter R De Vries. The book will be published in the Spring of 2015 by world renown Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke’s Dutch publishers ‘Galilee’.

RESEARCHER AND MAGAZINE EDITOR

As a researcher, Barbara is responsible for one of the most important studies on the social and economic

significance of migrant churches in the city of Rotterdam. Her research work has led to many city-wide discussions on the issue, but most importantly, to her understanding of the lives and challenges of migrant women in the Netherlands. The result has been the creation of the first magazine in mainland Europe, but particularly in the Netherlands, for black African women. Due to experience borne in the creation of that magazine, Barbara is working now towards the birth of a broader, Europe-based magazine.

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: CAMEROON

COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE: THE NETHERLANDS

OCCUPATION: WRITER, SINGER, EDITOR & PUBLISHER

CONTACT DETAILS: barbaragwanmesiata@gmail.com

Ava Brown is the author of the book “Bamboo & Fern” her recently published biography. She is a woman of many talents and is a Speaker, Trainer, Coach and Global Business Development Manager. She received her 2nd MBA from The University of Wales and her 1st from Newport University California. Ava also has a Bachelor in Business Administration and a Diploma in Secondary Education from the University of the West Indies Mona, Jamaica.

Recently nominated for London Leadership Peace Award, Finalist for Fashion Fair Diva Author of Colour International Women’s Day 2015 as well as featured In the Financial Times, The Guardian, The Voice Newspaper & the Jamaican Gleaner. Ava has been featured on Decision and Various International Radio Shows.

Over the years Ava has worked in a wide variety of professional capacities namely: education, finance, maritime, telecoms and business development before deciding to embark on her own business. She currently works as a coach, mentor, and motivational speaker as well as helping businesses develop and grow. In addition to her multiple work activities, Ava is a regular contributor to the education magazine Be Magazine published in West Africa and The Children Hope Newspaper on topics such as “Hope for this Generation“, “Location and Education” to name a few. She is actively involved in assisting African students in accessing tertiary education in the UK, via distance learning. She is now in the process of collaborating with friends to publish the anticipated recipe book with her favourite treats. Reading and writing and of course music given her strong Jamaican background. Ava is an extremely motivated and driven individual who now resides in London with her daughter Chardonae Elizabeth and son Mikhel Kai.

She lives by the motto that “sometimes life will throw you down however; you must find the will power to pull yourself up above your circumstances.” She believes that everything is about correct timing and tapping into the Universe for that which you need. Opportunities will knock, but we have to be able to recognize them and take full advantage.

One of her books is titled “Bamboo and Fen ”

Bamboo and Fern documents Ava’s life growing up in Jamaica. From mango seller to gaining an MBA, Ava Brown turned her life around, overcame adversity and poverty. Her story starts in a poor rural area, where the need to find food often won out over school attendance and follows her journey through her adolescent years, which were encased in the dark shadows of incest and sexual abuse, to her young adult years when the event of being held at gunpoint finally led her to flee her home country in order to save her sanity. Yet, her resilience and love for her native country allowed her to see all of her harsh and disappointing experiences as stepping stones to becoming a strong and self-reliant woman, one who is capable of helping our society to break the cycle of poverty and its effects.

This book is a tribute to everyone who has tried and failed, to everyone who took on something new and felt the fear of failure and the exhilaration of success. This book is here to remind us that failure and success are not separate from each other as we have been taught, it is here to highlight the fact that you can’t get to success without experiencing failure. It is natural and normal; we are made to experience life through a series of refining moments, until we reach our desired goals. Failure is just an indicator that we are not there yet. Her Books are Bamboo and Fern This can be purchased through WHSMITH and Amazon or better still, you can get a SIGNED COPY via her website. Ava has also Co –author the book Born For This The Journey to Success In Love Life & Business.

She can be contacted at info@avabrown.org or http://www.avabrown.org

THE DOWNING KITE- Written by ABU ABDULKADIR

We sank our young chests
Into forest sharps
Seeking the finest of sticks
To propel our kite.

We crafted our darling kite
Daring as witched ravens
Camping in the clouds
We then delibrated
And ‘Hope’ it was christined

Then we found the loudest
Of stars
Plucked them from the sky
Packed them in palm packs
And tied them to ‘Hope’s back
As a parcel for God

Accept our ‘Hope’ dearest Lord

Let us grow green
Branching skywards
Beyound heights where
‘Hope’ cannot touch
Amen

Let our hands be scoured clean
By new rains
And place our plate
Among the big circle of clasmen
Amen

But

‘Hope’
was
punctured
By hooded infidels
And we watched it

downing
Scattering
madly
Descending
heavily

Upon our worn chests
The black children

And we retired home
Wearing our cheeks
Between our palms
Too grieved for tears