The past six months of my life have been crazy. And even more, the last two years. It’s been challenging. Maybe not the most challenging phase of my life, but the peculiarity of this time, made it stand out.

I had never thought I’d be a victim of many of the things I encountered, recently. I had always dotted my ‘I’s and crossed my ‘T’s so well. I was the guy who had it all figured out. I was the guy who counselled people on these matters. I just didn’t know I’d one day become a victim of the same. But then life happens, and that in itself became the most difficult thing to accept.

The worst thing was that I was still able to carry myself, publicly, like I had it all going together. I still did some good. I showed up confident and calm, yet inside, it was chaos. I had bottled up so much pain, anger, discomfort, inside for fear of exploding that I began to implode. Only few could notice, and those who did weren’t sure what was happening, or how to come in. “Is Imisi really loosing his mind, or is this just another one of his many antics?”

But then, this is August

This is August,
An August that should have been July
But no, the demons I fought beat me to it
Panting with a fainting heart, I saw it slip far away.

This is the August that came after July,
A July that could have been June,
Because in May my heart hit a light
A light that gave warmth to my freezing heart
Giving another face to this unending phase

This is August, because I’ve found new hope
I found new strength for these feeble knees
I found a path for this wandering mind
I found peace for this troubled soul

This is August where I’m moving
Moving forward, the destination I know
But the details I haven’t a perfect clue
Yet, I see the light ahead, and I follow suit

This is August where I’m starting to write again
This is August where I’m retracing my steps
Poco a poco, following the course faithfully

This is August where I’m beginning to sing those songs again
Those melodies that gave this little boy a voice to be

This is August where I’m living the dream
Doing the very things my heart longed for

This is August, the month of Project ASPIRE
Where I am teaching music
To under-served and vulnerable kids,
as a way of finding expression,
and embracing economic opportunities.

This is August where it all takes a new turn

This is August
I’ve waited for her
And now she’s here

This is August
I’m committed to making us work