Refugee Mother and child

We did this poem in Matric and its been haunting me today...

No Madonna and Child could touch
that picture of a mother's tenderness
for a son she soon will have to forget.

The air was heavy with odors
of diarrhea of unwashed children
with washed-out ribs and dried-up
bottoms struggling in labored
steps behind blown empty bellies.

Most mothers there had long ceased
to care but not this one; she held
a ghost smile between her teeth
and in her eyes the ghost of a mother's
pride as she combed the rust-colored
hair left on his skull and then -
singing in her eyes - began carefully
to part it... In another life
this would have been a little daily
act of no consequence before his
breakfast and school; now she
did it like putting flowers
on a tiny grave.

-Chinua Achebe

Socially awkward penguin

Ladies and Gentlemen,


That is me. I am a left-facing penguin, with one outstretched wing on a blue background. That is me.


I was born this way as a regular Adeli penguin.



Over time I became this:





Here, have a look if you don't believe me.

AND FINALLY...  

So folks... Thats it. If you'd like to find out more....Know your meme - Socially Awkward Penguin

The 'Exactly" moment

Ah... The exactly moment. The opportunity to say it has filled many with joy at being understood , it has saved many a person from an uncomfortable conversation and has been the catalyst for many a beautiful friendship... Don't believe me?

See the following situations for proof:

Person A trips over laces. Gets up. Looks around. "Nobody saw that" 
Person B "Nobody saw what?"
Person A "Exactly!"
And both went on to live happy, full, productive lives.





Person C "Blah, blah, blah, and that's how I got your sister pregnant. It was accidental, I'm so sorry..."
Person D (Big, scary ass guy who wasn't listening at all) "Sorry about what?"
Person C (seeing an exit, takes it) "Exactly!"
Person D "..."
And person D was confused but quickly got over it while Person C lived to see another day.






See what I mean? The exactly moment... (The moment following the exactly...)
It is a moment of understanding between two people, many, many things are said in one word:
"That was embarrassing and for your sake I will forget that it happened."
"I actually heard what you said, I just don't want to talk about it"
"I don't feel like repeating myself" <-- Not the greatest use for the moment but hey, different strokes
"I would like to change the topic"

At times the moment is misused, mostly because of ignorance, or because of an avoidance policy with regards to difficult conversations.

Here is an example of how to turn an Exactly FAIL into an Exactly WIN.

"What did you say?" 
"Ex...a..ctly?"
"No, really, what did you say?"
"Oh! I was declaring my undying love for Justin Beiber"

"Your undying love for who?!"




"Exactly!"







"Hmmmm... Um... Okay"

*And there is a dual exhale of relief. From Red because he wasn't forced to hate Orange on sheer principle. From Orange because he managed to retain what little street cred he was in possession of. 




You see, when using the exactly moment as a save, remember, BS baffles brains...
With that, Ladies and Gentlemen... I leave you. Hopefully for not as long as the last time... Until we meet again...

Couch Out