Kahnye

The body is a temple. You have heard it said. A temple for your soul. Did you know that your soul was not intended to live alone in this temple? There is room for another. You were created that way. Your Creator God made room for himself in your temple. If he is there communing with your spirit you have access to love that will not let you go ..... wisdom and a sound mind .... joy and contentment ..... peace ... and then you become as a flowing river of water that replenishes not only your soul but your body (which God also commits to his own personal care) and on to refresh those around you. Life becomes clean, holy .... good. Imagine a people whose God is the Lord ..... where all evil thought and intent is rejected. Imagine the tender concern for one another and for the creation ... imagine justice and mercy.

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Ah but we are broken, plagued, and lost. Searching, groveling, blindly on the ground for that something we are missing ... that something in our soul ..... something to bind up the gaping wound. That place that was to belong to our Creator is empty ..... as a race we rejected him .... oh and we ache and we ache to fill it ... we are incomplete and we do not know what will bring us peace. So we want this and we want that .... we chase this and we chase that .... "oh vanity of vanities" the teacher will tell you because he tried it all ... experimenting and researching for gratification ... he told you about it in his book ... Ecclesiastes. Read it. Can you be taught .... will you except instruction from your elders? Or like me must you be young and foolish and find out for yourself .... for my knowledge far exceeded my experience and I thought I knew. I did. So much knowledge .... my head was full and my heart empty and I was hungry, hungry, hungry! And my hunger lead me down roads away from God ... oh I served him ... in fear and in trembling I served him. Hoping and praying for the desires of my heart ..... and he withheld and withheld until disappointment came to live in my house. And bitterness too. I grew lonely and vulnerable. Until my heart found something new to wrap itself around and this time I did not ask God for it because I knew it was wrong. I turned my back on him. And this thing I loved chewed me up and spit me out.

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And there was God like thunder .... a sword of judgement in his hand .... what would I do? Was I Judas or Peter? I chose to be a Peter. I chose to repent. And I grieved. I grieved over the consequences of my sin. I grieved then for my sin. I near grieved to much for I went into a deep depression. And God folded me in his arms and would not let me sorrow. I put myself in purgatory and he gave me his atonement and the cross became so precious to me .... Jesus ... he died for me .... it was for me. How could I have taken it all for granted .... I knew! But now I had tasted and experienced. I have a love story. It is the story of how Creator God came and found me and loved me. And that was just the beginning.

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Still counterfeits press upon my soul. Spirits that would feed on my adoration then disappoint and lead me into destruction. The things that bring me joy .... the beauty of the lotus can be a blind for the monster along the waters edge ..... "come and drink my little one and find satisfaction for your soul ..... come and drink until you forget your Maker and I have bound you to me and made you my slave. Then I will own you and pull your little strings my foolish puppet and I will feast on your flesh." A counterfeiter brings joy long enough to gain a foothold then the grief begins. Preserve the chastity of your soul. Give that place in your heart to the One it belongs to. Then all else will fall into place.

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Kahn

Spinning words, spicing music

Elucidating feelings, purifying my soul

Your craft, I've seen, your knowledge, I've learnt

I've witnessed, I'll testify, this man is Kahn

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Melting itself, a candle gives light

To this dark town

It melts itself to shine for me

It dies to give me life

This is but a blood debt

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Going to such troubles, to keep me motivated

Never sleeps, laboring for my happiness day and night

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Kahnye*, servant of my soul

Won't you sleep tonight.

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Outside my window every night, serenading me, playing it

With begena and kirar, cultivating my soul

Like melka tsadique, our Kahn

His place spans every era

I know it's everlasting

Joy sent from heavens

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I may be loving or hateful, he's always there

Thankful for my smallest favors

A man so rare, unswayed by trends

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Kahnye, servant of my soul

Won't you sleep tonight.

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His elocution fluid, like water in a brook, it flows

Whets my winding guts and seeks my heart

Reveals the mystery, breaks it down,

Explodes my essence.

My soul has entered paradise

Sweetening your songs, blending life and word

Separating my flesh and soul,

Leaving me breathless.

'

Kahnye servant of my soul

Won't you sleep tonight.

'

Like melka tsadique, our Kahn

His place spans centuries

I know it's everlasting

Joy sent from heavens.

~GI GI

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Kahn: Priest of the highest order with mastery of language, poetry, music, theology and logic. In Ethiopia Kahns are known for their selfless devotion to their learning and their art.

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Kahnye: my dear / ye is always a suffix of endearment in Amharic

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Adwa

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Man is precious

Precious to be man

One has died to save the rest

respecting all

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A calling of sacrifice, of love and honor

With honor one dies for the other

My freedom today

Paid for in much blood and bone

How many fell for this land of freedom

Let Adwa speak, let her bear witness

Let Adwa speak, let my country speak

How I stand before you

In pride and honor

In happiness and love

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Here I enjoy my victory each day

But the suffering and all that pain

Adwa yesterday and Adwa here to stay

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The fallen are yet to rise

May praise be to them

To the martyrs of Adwa

Who gave their lives for freedom

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The black man's bastion of triumph

Africa Mother Ethiopia

Tell tell tell

Tell us stories of triumph

Tell us.

~GIGI