Nii Ayikwei Parkes

Nii Ayikwei Parkes (born 1 April 1974), born in the United Kingdom to parents from Ghana, where he was raised, is a performance poet, writer, publisher and sociocultural commentator. He is one of 39 writers aged under 40 from sub-Saharan Africa who in April 2014 were named as part of the Hay Festival's prestigious Africa 39 project. He writes for children under the name K.P. Kojo. Quotes Quotes for Friday from Nii Ayikwei Parkes' Tail of the Blue Bird If you look you will see that whatever happens the birds will sing their song. Pg1 The ancestors say that the truth is short but, sεbi, when the tale is bad, then even the truth stretches like a toad run over by a car on those new roads they are are building. Pg2 Ei, the elders say that news is as restless as a bird [5] And when fear catches you, it returns you to screaming, your first language. Pg7 I wanted to tell him that you do not light a fire under a fruit-bearing tree, but these young people think they invented knowledge so I ignored him. Pg9 Remember that the monkey was eating long before the farmer was born . Pg9 And I tell them that it is not just about beauty because beauty doesn't pay debts. But do they listen? Pg13 He couldn't accept, as his grandfather's fellow had, that it was meant to be. His grandfather's life was not sunset, some light that went out whether you liked it or not. [32] That is why they say that the way the crab lives by the stream makes it understand the ways of water. Pg66 As the wise ones say it is not a name that changes the nature of an animal. Pg67 The simple black and orange batik cloth she had wrapped over her breast was amplified halfway down her body by her hips, which swung with the casual ease of a hypnotist's pendant. Pg99 It is no mystery that when something leaves your hand, grief can take its place; it is the same way that rain takes the place of clouds. What we cannot understand is how heavy the rain can be. Pg100 The wise ones say that everything in this world is like sleep; it comes and goes. It is so with happiness and madness. Pg103 The brave man displays his courage and strength on the battlefield, not at home. Pg107 When one starts on the path to evil good counsel sounds like a joke. Pg130 They say nothing is other than what you see, but it is also true that nothing is other than what you don't see. Pg168 “If my heart is broken, I should be thankful that I was blessed to have loved but I cannot live that wisely. That’s why I cry ” Kayo leaned forward now, closing the distance between himself and the hunter. His mind was racing. 'So, the story you just told us. Is it true? Is that the story of Kofi Atta?' The hunter sighed. 'That may be your story. I am not the one to tell you what is true. I am telling you a story. On this earth, we have to choose the story we tell, because it affects us - it affects how we live. They begin in my head, triggered by things that happen outside my head – usually an image or a sound, those are my primary stimuli – but my creation begins in sound. He talks about were poem begins I became aware I was writing poetry, when I was 10 and my father read something I had written and said, ‘you’re writing poems? Good.’ I don’t think of myself as a proper poet; I actually pride myself on being a quite improper poet. He spoke about when he started writing poems I’m a patient and humble reader and I like to learn and nurture. I don’t know what that says about what to expect from the course, but good poems will be written. External links Category:living people