A prompt to Quote No 14

A man is now ninety years old
He’s aware his time is running out
His family gathers around his bed
To say their goodbyes and farewells

A priest called, an anointing done
Yet he clings to see tomorrow
He’s worried about his children
Has he done enough for them?

Has he left a lasting legacy?
What would his obituary say?
A voice comes to his soul saying
Lift your foot. Cross over.

He sees his mother, dressed in a blue sari
He last saw her almost a century ago
He left home a boy, crossed an ocean
Sadly, he couldn’t return in…

Have you stopped to think about how your perfect home would look?

Take a second. Imagine your perfect home. What’s the first thing that greets you? The smell of clean laundry, a rich cup of coffee or fresh baked cookies coming out of the oven? Home is where your story begins. It’s much more than bricks and beams; it’s a place where you store your hopes and dreams.

So when Jack, my business partner and architect, asked me to describe my perfect home, I paused. As a structural engineer, I knew what he meant. Was it going to be timber-framed? Was it going to have three bedrooms? Was it going to be carbon neutral? He got ready to take down the brief. “Well, it’s going to feel like home”, I said with a coy smile. …

A letter to my wife on our wedding anniversary. Love is about growing closer each day.

Dear Lover,

Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary. I feel like I have known you forever, though it has hardly been a decade. A journey often overlooked, interrupted by life’s constant demands. Like a longing from a past life, a familiar spirit, you instantly filled a void I didn’t know existed.

We both had our doubts about love. You needed a companion, a rock to confide in. I needed a friend, a place for solace. Our parents’ unions were uninspiring. We never thought we would get married. The idea of love ephemeral. Yet, we took the plunge in fearless defiance.

It has been a tough journey, one scared of commitment, the other too afraid to get hurt. It seemed an arrangement of convenience. Two of us walking down the same path. Underneath it all, I guess we were the best of friends. Though often, we took that harmony for granted. …

An ode written for when I feel most grateful!

I am grateful to rise with the morning’s breath
To find joy in the softness of the new grass ahead
To find grace in the drizzle that coats the lawn at dawn
To find warmth in the early rays of the dazzling sun
To find comfort in the freshness of the gentle breeze
To find delight in the symphony of new sounds at hand
To find solace deep in me, in being alive and free
O how could I possibly count my silver linings
I am blessed by the abundance of my soul’s dinings

I wrote this as a response to the prompt by Natalie Frank, Ph.D., we are grateful for you.

She also inspired me to write about what I will take away from this pandemic:

©2020 Jonathan Fashanu

A depressing poem

Death my friend, come, be my sweet relief
Draw near, save me from this unending grief

I feel your long claws gently graze my soul
Your rapacious eyes flicker black as coal

Deeper you send me tumbling into the spiral
My spirit vacates, the motion becomes gyral

It floats to happy thoughts and better days
Filled with ethereal skies and golden rays

How did I end here, lost in a tempestuous sea
A pale reflection of my former self, a banshee

My eyes remain shut, darkness keeps me calm
The silence around me becomes a restful psalm

I hear her voice, she calls from a distance place
I recognise my name, I turn, I see a familiar…

DASH Sustainable Living Series

Many think sustainable living is expensive. Sustainable living is a mindset to reduce our impact on one another, the environment and our expenses.

Sustainability is not a new topic. Climate change has dominated the news over the last few years. Ever so often, we are reminded that our behaviour and living habits are affecting the planet. Global warming. Water scarcity. Plastic Pollution. There are so many issues that seem pressing and relevant it’s sometimes hard to figure out where to start.

As a building designer, when it comes to reducing your carbon footprint, my professional opinion would always be to improve the performance of your building fabric. A quarter of the heating in your home gets lost through the roof and even more from the walls. Insulating them to a good standard should always be a priority. …

A futuristic letter to my toddler about life during COVID-19. If he asks, I will tell him it was a time that brought us all together.

Dear Son,

Thanks for writing to me. I am glad we have gone back to more ancient forms of communication; I still struggle with the hologram.

Well, COVID-19 was a deadly virus that took many lives. We felt it in every corner of the world. Governments shut their borders, markets crashed, and people stayed at home. You might not remember this, but the playgrounds had to close. I couldn’t explain this to you because you were so little.

It was a very reflective time for many. People had to stay at home and think. We realised how connected we all were. How similar many of our circumstances were. I guess it brought many of us together in some way. We contemplated a bit more on why we were here. …