Journey with Della

Not by chance but by design for the word itself if irrelevant apart from U

Take it away and encounters with others of any kind quickly unravel for lack of a U

Bring in back in and strength, vitality and hope ooze out of all the relationships with U

Yet, for fear of the vulnerability that comes with it, very few have the courage to fully engage with U

Engaged fully or not, life really does not give anyone much of a choice for or against interactions with U

For just like trust derives its meaning from U, not one soul that was ever made can thrive when deprived of contact with U

Just like the letter U, trust is seldom engaged, by one and all, with intentionality

Over and over, like a plague, humans continue their attempts to skip it with intrepidity

Always for one reason or another, we seek to excuse ourselves by engaging explanations with creativity

Yesterday it was A, the day before it was B, today it is C so trust gets pushed further out of the picture with certainty

The pain endured in its breach a zillion years ago now highlights warning signs and red flags are raised at the first sign of possibility

But deep down we can’t help the helplessness and emptiness that now is propagated by our unwillingness and lack of resolve to embrace vulnerability

For the lack of trust, many Westerners must make the trip to the third world because “these people are corrupt and lack the ability to be accountable”

For the absence of trust, many Africans have learned to manufacture statistics behind their desks to proof, beyond reasonable doubt, their ability to be accountable

For the loss of trust, that husband must work his way arduously back into his wife’s heart because “trust is earned and not given” yet she chuckles at the privilege to pay him back

But still, for the breach of trust, that girl child within her is terrified and petrified at the seeming ceaseless pattern that began with her father, then her uncle and now her husband

Because trust has vanished into oblivion, suspicion now beams in U encounters and crazy cycles of blame and precariousness spin out of control

Because of suspicion AIDS became “America’s Idea to Discourage Sex”

Because of suspicion’s prevalence and nurture EBOLA has become “Ebo-Lie”

Because of suspicion, Africans now blame Americans and Americans blame their leaders

Because of suspicion, I must keep a constant eye over my shoulder and so must you lest we tear down each other

Because of suspicion, hoarding has become the norm because we doubt that those who come after us can ensure our welfare

Because suspicion and cynicism and skepticism have thrived for so long, chaos and affliction and depression and disaster and catastrophe come hither

Still we cannot over-emphasize our need for the five-lettered word and you

It is a fact that I cannot fully become all I was born to be in this world without you

It is a fact that a significant part of you lies in me and an important part of me lies in you

It is a fact that if the potential I carry will mature and blossom at its best, I must embrace you

It is a fact that the only reason I can go from one place to another in my quest to become a better me is you

It is also a fact that anticipating my coming at some point on life’s journey justifies the exploits and expansion of you

It is a fact that going away only has meaning in  that, when all is said and done and my curiosity’s satisfied, I can come back to you

So because meeting and engaging you in being me is not left to choice,

Because the quality, value and legacy of my life lie in you and that, by conscious choice,

Because our days on this side are numbered and but a vapor that is here today and then vanishes

Because my suspicion and cynicism in dealing with you do not change the facts associated with life’s realities

Because fanning the flames of the propaganda brought by the media and other interested persons around me is completely unjust

Because I need you regardless of whether individuality, communality, or something in between, form the core of the values that my culture suggests