spirit

Tired with eyes wide open

by Karima Osman

It is very late, or very early, whichever does not matter. I drank coffee late because I could, I don’t always care for what’s logical. Although I’m awake and very tired, I accept the fatigue and take from it what I can. In the quiet hours, I toss and turn with ideas. On nights like this, such ideas don’t slip into the darkness of my shut eyelids.

This is a poem I wrote 5 minutes ago. Usually I’d wait to see if what I write can stand the test of time, but right now, I don’t really care. It’s 3am and inhibition doesn’t really work like it would at day. Days are for holding back because we fear how things may be perceived. The night is for not caring because things simply are as they should be & even if our eyes are wide open, chances are we’re too tired for questioning. 

I cannot steer your ship, 
but I will send my message through the fish 

And if before reaching you the fish is eaten,
I will look up and raise my oath for the eagle

And say someone shoots this bird,
then I’ll tell the herdsmen to spread what 
they’ve heard

About my concern 
about how I yearn 
...for the one I have not met 
but whose affections I hope to earn 

When you get my message,
do not send one back,
just come to the coast 
...so that you may see 
If what I offer is what you need

Peace & blessings,

Karima O.

Sabtida: Reflections

by Karima Osman
  • Most recognize the merit of humility, whether or not they possess it.
  • Admonishing the self is a means of growth, but an exhaustive approach; so, many will favor deluded enjoyment over the internal conflict. However, the conscientious prefers spiritual turmoil, through it, they known they are not yet numb.
  • To ask for guidance is most sincere when the requester has taken the time to pinpoint their shortcoming. A generalized request is void of effort.
  • All forms of reliance are not the same.

Protect Yourself

by Karima Osman

Like the wood anemone that grows in bounty,

she widens her spirit with a rolling pin & throws it out the kitchen window.

Letting it roam vast oceans and municipal roads,

deciding for itself whom to love and where feels like home.

 

After days of unassisted travel, her spirit boomerangs back

& splats against the kitchen window.

She smiles, knowing that her spirit feels most honored behind the ribs in her chest,

not imprisoned, but guarded against the ills of the world’s unrest.

 

Peace & Blessings,

Karima Osman

My 2 ¢ on Music & its Relation to Thy Heart

by Karima Osman

Music is the reflection of a spirit. A composer’s condition steers their art, so the composition will thus take the form of the individual’s love, melancholy, rage, etc. From the composer’s standpoint, the production of music is medicinal as it enables them to be expressive and practice translating their sentiments into communicable sound.

It is the listener who must be wary!!! For a listener has access to the music, but may not have knowledge of the composer’s condition when they produced it. Without a full understanding of the composer’s intentions, one can only draw from their own experiences in their interpretation. While this may seem inherently positive on the grounds of free thinking, it is in this space where music can manifest into a harmful tool.

If one knew the condition of the composer’s heart when crafting their music, they’d perhaps refrain from indulging in the work. For example, If an artist wrote a dis track about another individual on a fallacy, I for one wouldn’t know the dis was a lie without knowing the artist’s condition, and secondly, I’d have listened to another individual backbiting someone else for banter, which inevitably pollutes the soul.

Conversely, If I were listening to the lyrics of ‘Peace Train’ by Cat Stevens (now Yusuf Islam), I’d develop an urge to pick flowers from an untamed field and distribute them to elderly folk, even the ones who didn’t believe I belonged in this country, for a good hearted song will make you rise above the occasion.

Be selective in the music you listen to, as the ears are an inroad to the heart.

 

Peace and Blessing,

Karima Osman