Khaya Ronkainen

Revisited: Lessons from Reading (1)

Posted on 08/15/2018 by Khaya Ronkainen

Be Watchful of Own Prejudices: a memoir in translation, A Jihad for Love by Mohamed El Bachiri reminded me that what the world needs (and has always) needed is tolerance and love.

Escapism is Wonderful: Get out of the real world for a while, for no sane person can keep up with the ills of this world. The steampunk novelettes, Magical Mechanications by Pip Ballantien and Tee Morris, reminded that one of the purposes of literature is to entertain.

Always Pay Attention: There are books that makes you sit up from the very first sentence. The kind of writing that grabs your attention and works hard at keeping it as you turn pages. I certainly like this kind of writing. But as I read a collection of short stories, The Storyteller Speaks by Annika Perry, I remembered that I actual love slow-paced books. They allow me to pay close attention to their worlds and characters.

Practice Gratitude: No-one (for me) does it better than Emily Dickinson. Reading and rereading her poems always reminds me to focus on nurturing what sustains and gives me joy by appreciating the little things in life.

Build Your Tribe: History has always been unjust towards women. This injustice is so vividly captured in Cast a Long Shadow by Leena Lander, a historical novel about one of the infamous witch hunts in Northern Europe; women turning against each other as they are falsely accused. The importance of surrounding oneself with people who get you and want the best for you cannot be overstated.

to be continued…

notes: As I wrap my reading, I thought I’d share some of the valuable lessons I revisited this summer, and how each book enriched my experience.

Poetry

Learning to Weed

Posted on 08/01/2018 by Khaya Ronkainen

”Water is taught by thirst” ~ Emily Dickinson

Sun stands tall and beats my bent back into droplets of water. I pull with fury roots of a stinging nettle infesting the garden.

It seems a futile effort to keep fighting this pest that robs me of joy; walking outdoors barefoot with skirts blown high by gentle breeze, arms outstretched, and laughter competing with songs of summer. I pause.

i sit next to water
and think of how delicious
is the taste of freedom

Young and tender no more, leaves of the plant envelope everything it touches and litter seeds to spread the rash. I persevere.

i ponder
the hullabaloo
drowning
the trumming sound

Weed keeps flourishing and rubbing people I love the wrong way. I persist, plucking root by root. Sun continues to smirk.

i thirst water from home
a verse to confirm
freedom still tastes as good
for bogus rumours
spread across the ocean

Sun stands tall and beats everything into shape. Birds and mosquitoes alike flee for shelter. I keep on weeding as I try to swallow words, I can’t spit, stuck in my dry throat.

i hear of deliverance
power of salty waters;
sweat and tears

Oh, the metamorphosis! Happy is the larva. Weed has its use. Caterpillar famished feeds, pupa nesting new life starts to dance, and beauty blooms. Fury flaps delicate like wings of a butterfly.

i taste freedom twice.

Butterfly
(not a direct result of the larvae feeding above)

process note: This piece was first inspired by a different piece I wrote for a poetry contest on healthy self-love and self-care.

It was also inspired by the current Finnish summer record temperatures. They say it’s never been this hot since 1976. Luckily, we didn’t go hiking this summer as we normally do. But rather planned a quite time in the countryside.

So, I’ve been courting water (lots of swimming to keep cool) and Emily Dickinson as I weed my garden for butterflies to bloom. And it turns out, water represents cleansing, life and freedom.

Reading & Mini Reviews

Discoveries As I Read

Posted on 07/04/2018 by Khaya Ronkainen

I keep making new discoveries as I read and reread. One of those discoveries is that there’s more to reading than well, reading.

It’s a case of learning about self through reading works of others, that is, learning about my interests, attitude and motivation to read certain subjects and genres. I’ll sure write more on this later, and after the summer reading challenge is over.

For now, all I can say is I’m still reading and happy with the progress I’ve made thus far. There’s a lot still left to read as I’ve included a few titles to my original list. The challenge is whether or not, I’ll be able to read all the books before end of summer. Nonetheless, I’ll continue to read even after summer, as I always do, albeit at a slower pace.

Another important note about reading. If you’ve read, commented and entered the Summer Giveaway: for Poetry Lovers, thank you very much for your contribution. I truly appreciate your support.

And, the winner has been announced. If it’s not your name you see at the bottom of that post, do not despair, there will be more giveaways in the future and another chance to win. Stay tuned!