Sista Clinik

I believe we all experience some form of depression in our lives. We may not even realize it. Like any other person, I have experienced this in one form or another. However if I think of it only one incident truly comes to mind.  As a poet, I often try to infuse a piece of myself in my works. It may not always work, but I try my best anyways. Writing the poem 'Defiled' took a lot out of me. Inspired by the near rape of a friend and written about an actual rape, Defiled made me drag myself down to a depth I could not recall coming to before. By the time I was done with it, my hands were shaking and a weight had settled in me. I felt heavy and was not quite myself for the rest of the day. If you want advice on how to deal with depression then don't look to me because I have nothing for you. All I can say is, we're all going to be there someday. That's just the way the world works; be it some silly childish reason or a poet writing her next piece or som...

“Girl I like you” he says; “Sorry not interested” you reply. “But I love you” he insists; “Sorry man. I’m just not interested” you say. “But Baby I…” he tries to go on, but you block him off with “Dude I said NO!”   Does this sound familiar to any of you? If yes, then more power to you sista. If no, then I wish I was you because guys like this are some of the most annoying you will ever meet. Kindly pardon my tone. I was not in my ‘happy place’ when writing this and it shows. Now don’t get me wrong, I sincerely respect the age-old tradition of playing hard to get, but when she looks ready to knock his lights outs and begins to cuss him out then he better back off.  Now here’s the thing. A lot of the time, it seems like these guys are ‘joking’, I would know; it’s a new game played nearly every day at the office.  However, when you know the person you’re ‘joking’ with AND he/she gets that kind of ‘thing’ then kudos to the both of you. But when a guy a...

My story, while not as jarring as others, still goes to prove the fundamental wrongness in our society. Some years ago, I worked as a supervisor in a supermarket. Before I go on I should state that I'm not native to this country as it has relevance in this story. One day, a sailor from one of the countries bordering mine came to buy some provisions before heading back to his motherland. Seeing as he could barely speak English, I volunteered to help out. It immediately became obvious that the man had indulged in the ‘spirits’ prior to his excursion; that is to say he reeked of alcohol. The man's more sober companion left to make his own purchases while leaving me to handle his inebriated friend. Initially I tried to lead the man to my manager's office, hoping that the manager would help deal with him. To my shock, my manager waved me off stating he had a meeting and did not want any interruption. Trying to avoid causing a scene, I led the man round t...