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Stories for life
Poems by Philo Ikonya
Posted on 23. February, 2010
Philo Ikonya is a Kenyan writer, journalist and human rights activist, and presently Oslo City of Refuge's ICORN Guest Writer. She was elected president of Kenyan PEN in 2007. Ikonya has written articles for journals, web magazines and blogs, often commenting on the social and political situation in Kenya. She has also written poetry and novels, and her novel "Kenya, will you marry me", has been translared and published in several countries. She has worked as a lecturer of Spanish at Tangaza College of the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, and as a a socio-political commentator in both radio and television. Philo Ikonya was threatened and harassed for her work and political activism, and can no longer work in Kenya.
I turn into love
when the key is turned,
clockwise,
and deprivation my lone friend
is conquered as doors open;
I turn into love.
abundance walks in,
removing all borders
like it should have always been.
I sit on the drought
And dream of floods
undestructive.
And see plenty of flowers
growing, uncut;
surrounding me and going outwards
for miles and smiles and far lands apart
surrounding me and you and all.
We fly.
to open the door and,
all growing flowers
into smiles of joy turn,
I turn into love.
and leave me in desert sands,
lost to all hearts that know me,
and
from you too;
who is life's meaning.
I will see a drop of water
coming, thawing,de-freezing, from far lands,
growing, flowing into my eye.
Then,
glowing into a flood of thoughts warm of how
to keep our arms working
and around each other.
A flood of words on how to keep
the grass grassing wisdom and the flowers
flowering love;
like sunflowers clockwise,
the desert cool and flooding too, into
An oasis for life,
not deserting.
I turn into love again and again.
**********
Please continue to read more of Philo Ikonya's poetry!
WHAT IS STORIES FOR LIFE?
Stories for Life is an open space in which writers from all over the world can connect and release their stories. Over the next five years of the Shahrazad project, these narratives will be created and disseminated by poets, journalists, novelists, editors, cartoonists, translators and essayists throughout Europe and beyond. They will be introduced to European children and young people in schools and local communities and they too will be invited to respond.
Latest news
Monday Monday Shahrazad reading in Frankfurt with Argentinian author Pablo Ramos
Posted on 12. March, 2010
Argentina is Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair this year, and there are many events scheduled for this occasion. One of the first ones this year was the reading of the Argentinian author Pablo Ramos in the series Monday Monday in Frankfurt on the last Monday of February.
"The Balkans & Europe" in Brussels
Posted on 2. March, 2010
In 2009 deBuren and Passa Porta launched the first edition of The Balkans and Europe, a series of cultural debates hosted by the Serbian journalist Dejan Anastasijevic (Time). Together with writers from the former Yugoslavia, Anastasijevic looks into several aspects of the European and Balkan culture.
"Threatened Words" in Stockholm
Posted on 24. February, 2010
Georgian poet and performance artist Zurab Rtveliashvili meets writer Carola Hansson to discuss the theme of exile, at Kulturhuset in Stockholm, 24th February at 7 pm. Exile is a reality lived by Rtveliashvili, while Hansson treats the theme in her latest novel "Med et namn som mitt" ("With a name like mine").
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Shahrazad: Stories for Life is a collaboration between six different organisations...
- Shahrazad: Stories for Life is a collaboration between six different organisations based in six European Cities of Refuge: Barcelona, Brussels, Frankfurt, Norwich, Stockholm and Stavanger. While each city offers different approaches and different strengths, we all work for freedom of expression and for literature.