The Palace at 4 A.M.

She said:
‘You’ve been on my mind
And even though what’s passed we can’t rewind
Hearing your voice not only makes me smile
But also serves to remind…
How you always made me laugh
With your sweet serenades

I missed this
Just talking and being

Got myself a new man
He doesn’t treat me bad
As a matter of fact he’s very pleasant
But you know how they say change takes time?
I just think nothing ever changes’, she continued

‘Sometimes I just want to quit acting classy and be a little slutty
Come over, maybe spend the night
And even though I know that won’t fix everything
It would satisfy a need… at least for a bit

And what if I did… then just call it a slip
A swim in the Dirty Water on some Marc E. Bassy ish so to speak’, whispering through the phone in a naturally seductive tone

Then we burst out laughing

‘But I know I shouldn’t do that
As much as I want to
Because I know after we…
We’ll still want different things
So I’m going to stay far away from you handsome bird
Let you fly free
I just had to hear your voice’, then she put the phone down

For a moment
I just lay there motionless
My eyes fixed on the Alberto Giacometti print on the wall
And my mind like the moon in free fall

© Heath Muchena, 2016

Portia Galactica X

She knew no limits
Unrestrained in thought and action
Her ideas transported my mind from earth to orbit
Not to mention she was beautiful
Or if I’m true to my slang  ‘fly as a rocket’ I’d say
Which is why I pet name called her Dr Sus
After Susmita Mohanty
But her real name was Portia Galactica
My space lady
Farewell fairy tale

© Heath Muchena, 2016

Addis Ababa Love ii

A World Of Water

As we observed reports about the crisis in Aleppo, drinking A-grade water that was as clear as glass seemed like such a blessing that I couldn’t help taking each gulp as a gift. And without insensitive diversion, the subject of water turned once more to her idea that it was in best interest working towards acquisition of some Blue Nile stock because the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project offered undeniable prospects in terms of securing a lucrative retirement investment opportunity.

She was a descendant of the 25th dynasty, Taharqa to be specific, so naturally she was full of ambition. A woman of action, her lofty goals had gotten her so far already but she was always humble in her approach. I think perhaps that had to do with the fact that she still respected the Christian ideals of her 4th century Ethiopian ancestors as she liked to refer to them and always in her heart stayed true to her roots.

She was very in touch with her cultural heritage in many aspects but her curious mind was what had made the bond between us so strong. She was first an anthropologist before she decided to pursue her career as a behavioural economist. The fact I thought her sharper than myself amplified my attraction.

I wanted children with her. It was her noble nature, charm and fine sensibility, sense of humour and divine beauty that had always amazed me and for her to have chosen me – a sinner – had restored my worthiness. But I suppose I made enough sacrifices to prove my love and she knew that would be hard to replace and to find another with the unique qualities I possessed would be unlikely.

However, it was because of her that we were here in the first place. Her job working for the NGO provided ample benefits that it was only sensible to relocate with her to strengthen our relationship and I suppose to follow a steadier path instead of my peripatetic lifestyle up to that point. Also, since my literary endeavours were beginning to seem as mere childhood fantasies I probably was never going to outgrow instead of proper career choices with real accumulative benefits, and for our future family’s sake, stability and all – I figured I may as well somewhat finally give a real go at settling down with the woman I loved.

But as reserved as I was about discussing business – out of natural empathy for the suffering going on in the world and which was clearly too much to ignore being the top news story of that day, on the other hand, I had to see things from her angle because she was always more practical than I ever was. She reminded me that water wars or wars of any kind are attributable to that which is in man’s mind – fear. And however much our grief, we must never forget that sincerity is the highest form of bravery and we must seize every given moment by harvesting insights that could inform and help us make better decisions that unlock the wealth of effective action and ultimately guarantee a bright future and thirst-free life.

So setting aside thoughts that seemed to offer no solution and focusing on actions that could benefit the family we were planning to have, I agreed with her proposition. After all, blue gold is what made Bush buy up the land above the The Guarani Aquifer, I thought. But before I could get carried away with my speculations, she unsurprisingly asked that we recite a little prayer for all in the world without adequate access to water.

© Heath Muchena, 2016