When students fail, we/
blame teachers. Police aren’t blamed/
when Black men fall. Dead.
Author: Kirby P.
Half man. Half amazing. Half math genius. Blah blah.
#GloPoWriMo 8/30: Doggy Baby
Puppies are better/
than babies because puppies/
don’t cry. Babies do.
#GloPoWriMo 7/30: Even perfection ain’t perfect
Thoughts on perfection/
Is something attainable/
if it don’t exist?
#GloPoWriMo 6/30: For John
I don’t want free milk
nor a free cow.
Willing to pay
for what I need,
and I need neither
right now.
Sampled many milks
at the market.
Found a few that I like.
Ate some aged cheddar.
Liked that too.
Bought cheese.
Bought milk.
Still ain’t buying a cow.
#GloPoWriMo 5/30: Stick
He used to speak softly,
and carry a big stick.
Then he stopped speaking.
Still carried the big stick.
Then,
he became the big stick.
Taught to believe
that a man ain’t a man
if that man don’t show force.
He wants to be the force.
Rule harshly
against the defenseless.
Use the stick
to numb their senses
if they ever question.
He is the law,
and the embodiment thereof.
He doesn’t
have to claim that he’s God
when everything that he does
proclaims that he is.
In persona christi.
God in the flesh.
Some wonder
if he lost the ability
to speak.
Didn’t want things
lost in translation.
Conversations take patience,
and ain’t nobody got time for that.
His stick moves swiftly.
Talking
is for the weak.
He’s training gods to be
to choose force
over speech.
Because even if
they don’t respect his words,
they will respect his stick.
#GloPoWriMo 4/30: Pondering
How much of my life/
would make sense if I wasn’t/
the one living it?
#GloPoWriMo 3/30: Oppressed
An oppressor’s goal/
is to retire while the/
oppression still works.
Monday in a Picture – Coming to America
Photo credit: U.S. embassy (Swaziland)
One of the things that I hear often around my community is a desire to go to the United States. Some people want to study in the U.S. Some want to travel and see the sights.
In December, our country director sent all current Swaziland PCVs an email announcing recruitment for the Pan Africa Youth Leadership Program (PAYLP). The exchange program is sponsored and funded by the U.S. State Department, and coordinated locally through the American embassy and other partners.
The school term had already finished, so I sent the message to a few teachers at my community high school to see if they wanted to nominate anyone. A teaching colleague wanted to nominate her son. He completed the application and motivation statements, and I submitted his application.
In early February, we received notice that my teaching colleague’s son was one of five Swazi students accepted into the program and would be going to America in April. This started a busy month of obtaining passports and other documents. Then, there was the visa application process (which reminded me of the extreme privilege that comes simply with being born in America). Finally, there was the pre-departure orientation at the U.S. embassy in Swaziland. The students were able to meet the rest of the cohort, attend visa interviews, and allay some fears and worries about the trip.
There was a video conference with representatives from the State Department, other partners, and participants from all PAYLP countries (10 nations in total, including Swaziland). The students were all very excited. This month, their collective excitement becomes reality when they arrive in the United States. They will meet with various American officials, study at local universities, and have homestay experiences with American families. The only thing left to do is get on the plane.
In the picture above, the Public Affairs Officer (middle) poses with the students and their adult mentor.
Be kind to yourself.
Onward.
#GloPoWriMo 2/30: About Her
She asks me
to note her best features.
I start thinking
about the way her hips sway
as the sun sets.
About how her face
is the prototype of perfect.
She is
an example of excellence.
But,
none of that is important.
I will not
call her pretty.
She
is so much more.
She
is my cheerleader
and coach,
Hope and love
personified,
and given a voice.
She is reason
and balance.
Strength and conditioning
for challenges
that may come.
She taught me
not to run.
To sit,
and to listen.
But not obey
my fears.
Her best feature
is not being able
to describe how amazing
she is.
She just
is.
#GloPoWriMo 1/30: Understanding
I’m learning
to find solace in things I don’t understand.
Starting to think
that not everything is meant to be understood.
Some shit just is,
while some isn’t.
Some will never be.
My understanding of the world changes,
as the world changes me.
The world is ever changing.
We keep living.
Understanding the world is not a prerequisite for life .
Some seek to be understood.
Some seek to be right.
I think about the day
when we will just seek to be.
What is Kirby Doing?: Stories from life after Peace Corps eSwatini 