I am a poet because of you

I rarely tell the story of how i first fell in love with poetry,perhaps because it was a love that crept on me and tripped me unaware and so i never marked into permanent existence  the significant milestones that marked the beginning of our relationship.What i do remember is  my first intense exposure to poetry ,to the likes of Angelou ,Keats, Shakespeare ,Kipling and many others took place in PL4, Mater Spei College under the tutelage of the late Mma Gaolathe. A teacher who could make you love words like you needed them more desperately  than a scuba diver heading to the surface of an oxygen rich ocean and hungry for a gasp.She had class-not the kind where we  sat in  and  listened to her song like mesmerizing  recitals-no.The kind of stylish class you take in with your eyes hoping the more you watch her every move the more of it you could posses .She owned eloquence and she possessed an air that compelled her students to want to do well,not only for themselves but for her.I must say my first test with her though was a flop.I was the last in the class and i was soo hurt because i wanted to prove to her how capable i was.

My hurt was transferred onto ink and paper and this was the path that i would persist in for the second decade of my life whenever my emotions got the better of me.I would write for relief.I must say even though Mma Gaolathe never got to see the fruits of her hard work,i did ace my literature classes in my final year of  high school under the tutelage of many other great teachers among them Mr Chester,and some whose names elude me now.In my heart my literature my was a dedication to the teacher and mother figure who evoked in me the urge to want to do better--to speak the Queen's language like i owned it and to express my inner self freely in the confines of blank paper and black ink,something i was taught was taboo.The ability to speak freely and express one's emotions to one's heart's content is often labelled as go phadimoga but poetry gave me a platform where i could freely do so and still retain my dignity.

I  never considered myself a poet or a writer.Those who read my works though would shock me with squeals of disbelief at my capabilities at penning things down,and making them relate to characters they had never met and emotions they had felt before .So perhaps it was the occasional praise of friends,house and room mates ,of current and former boyfriend(s)  who all, unfortunately had to endure hours of reading what i wrote and sometimes scraps that were not edited in the namesake of love.My parents, i must say are hardly surprised by the things i am (by the abundant grace and favor of God ) capable of but they too have had instances were they recognized my writing and still went on to ask in sheer delightful disbelief if i really wrote what i did . Perhaps the one encouragement that hit home the most was that of my late Uncle,whom we fondly called Gg who used to say i wrote along the ranks of the great Achebe that really got me thinking ohh well,why don't i give this writing thing a try.I wish my Uncle was here today to read my  book.He was so proud of me that even though I am bull's eye  certain that i am nothing close to the likes of the great Achebe, he would still have thought the world of me.Rest in peace Gg.Heart for Rent is dedicated to you ,and the faith you had in me.

I  am grateful for all who have been inspiring cornerstones,giving me material to write about.I am grateful for my boyfriend who understands my passion for poetry and who despite his not been so mushy mushy and soft, would still spend time listening with me poetry recitals online when he can and once in a while pays me a vey scarce but   more meaningful compliment  when he says,  hey,i read your poem,that one is a good poem,you have skills mami.Last but most importantly i'm grateful for the friends i have made online simply because they read something i wrote and love  it and take time to tell me about what they liked and what they didnt ,im grateful for the strangers who have inboxed and said there is something about the way you write because in ll honesty ,even though i write for my self ,to quiet my own emotions,my own insecurities,to analyse the things around me , once i strike a chord in your heart that resonates with mine,i feel connected to something bigger than just me--and that makes me feel alive.So thank you for stopping by .Thank you for the likes.Thank you for the encouragement.I am a poet because of you

If you want to grab Heart for Rent,it is is now available for purchase at Botswana Book World, Francistown for only P40.