Trilogy of poems written and performed by Nasibu Mahinya (that must be me) on CGK Africa’s Action Now Talk event at Aura Mall on 15th March 2024.
The rural school teacher enjoying life success and the Madam CEO enjoying career success reflect on what legacy and success means to them before finally encountering each other.
Part I: Madam CEO
In the heart of the city, where dreams and ambitions soar,
I stand atop my corporate realm, a CEO in a glass castle.
Yet beneath the accolades, a shadow of solitude stretches, a testament to my conquests but also to a deeper loss.
My hands, steering fate and finance, miss the touch of another’s warmth.
What worth is gold, when my heart counts a different loss?
“Do you know the price of success?” I ask the silent stars, pondering the laughter of my children, now distant, and a home that feels cold.
In boardrooms, my voice commands, but at home, it breaks, revealing a fortress built on fragile grounds.
My reflection in trophies mirrors a journey perhaps misguided, a life where career triumphed over connections and the soul’s warmth.
Burnt out, not by the Dar es Salaam sun but by a relentless chase for more,
I question, “When did my world shrink to just these walls?”
An epiphany strikes; true victory lies not in accolades but in life’s simple joys—laughter, love, and the embrace of the present.
I resolve to step down, to find balance beyond the ledger, seeking not fame but the richness of life.
The CEO of dreams ventures into life’s realm, where true success is measured in moments shared and connections made, finding her truest role in the harmony of life and work.
Part II: Mr. Teacher
In Manyara, beneath the baobabs, a teacher’s journey unfolds,
With dreams and questions, his story, quietly bold.
In classrooms and silence, he ponders his worth,
Seeking more than accolades, a legacy on Earth.
“Am I just a fleeting whisper, or will my name be carved in stone?
Can I, beyond these walls, make a grander dream my own?”
He dreams of ventures vast, where his name will shine,
To not just live but thrive, a destiny divine.
Yet, as dawn breaks, a resolve in his heart does bloom,
To chase success, yet not forget the classroom’s gloom.
For though he aims for stars, his essence will remain,
A mentor, a guide, through every loss and gain.
Off he goes, with dreams of greener pastures in sight,
A struggling teacher no more, but a beacon of light.
Yet, in his quest for glory, may he always find,
The joy of teaching, forever etched in his mind.
Part III: Teacher Meets CEO
Beneath the blue Dar es Salaam sky, where dreams both rise and rest,
Two souls, from walks of life apart, find common quest.
One, a titan of commerce, her empire wide and tall,
The other, a mentor and guardian of minds, in classroom halls.
CEO:
“In marble halls I’ve walked, where wealth and power dine,
Yet found within their echoing laugh, not joy, but a design.
I’ve scaled the heights of corporate might, yet yearn for simpler grace,
Tell me, teacher, with your guiding light, how do you find your place?”
Teacher:
“My realm is one of youthful hopes, of minds like clay to shape,
Yet in their eyes, I sometimes spy, my own dreams that escape.
I mold the future, day by day, a noble, silent fight,
But yearn for more, beyond the door, a name writ in the light.”
CEO:
“We stand, it seems, on different peaks, our vistas wide but lone,
I’ve wealth and power, yet crave your peace, a balance unbeknown.
Your impact lasts in hearts and minds, a legacy unseen,
How do you measure such success, when tangible it’s been?”
Teacher:
“True wealth, I’ve learned, in smiles found, in lives forever changed,
But human hearts, like mine, do seek horizons wide and ranged.
I envy not your gold, but drive, to rise and claim the dawn,
Perhaps it’s time to bridge our worlds, and from this divide, be drawn.”
CEO:
“Your words, like light through stormy clouds, reveal a path so clear,
Success, it seems, is not just gain, but what we hold dear.
To balance life, to nurture growth, in others and our own,
A journey neither can walk alone, on this winding road, we’ve sown.”
Teacher:
“Let’s forge a pact, you and I, to mentor and to guide,
To build a bridge between our worlds, with heart and doors wide.
Your wisdom in the realm of gold, mine in shaping fate,
Together, we’ll learn to balance both, before the twilight gate.”
CEO:
“Agreed, dear teacher, side by side, we’ll journey through this quest,
To seek a balance, rich and true, in every test.
Your aspiration for renown, and mine for heart’s reprieve,
We’ll find in each a middle ground, in what we dare to dream and achieve.”
Teacher:
“So here we stand, beneath the stars, our courses now entwined,
A titan of the market’s might, and a shaper of the mind.
Together we’ll embark, to seek, to learn, to yearn, to teach,
A balance struck between our worlds, within our reach.”
And so beneath the umbrella stand, where joyous shadows dance and play,
The CEO and teacher vow to find a new way.
To weave together dreams and deeds, with balance as their crest,
Guiding each other forward, on their quest for balanced success.
Till next time. Adios!