Mrs.O's writing room.

Your eyes locked in a loving gaze Words were not necessary - You had been chosen Papa’s heart was breaking but you knew It had to be done. A decision soaked in Love and Mercy, Grace and Compassion, Sorrow and Pain, And Passion – a mission! Wrapped in swaddling cloth and held in the delicate but firm hands of a maiden. Though she was naïve and inexperienced you saw obedience, desire and wisdom. How did you feel dressed in human flesh? - A “made-in-your-likeness” baby? You! Perfectly God yet perfectly man. 32 years on, your purpose unfolded 12 simple men by your side, questioning, always questioning, Crowds following, some smiling, some sneering Ladies reaching for your cloak, emptying perfume jars on your feet, Eager to hear you, feed you and wash your feet with their tears. The donkey and the Palms The 12 simple men at the dinner The garden – bleeding with sorrow The betrayal The interrogation The denial The crown of thorns The flogging The wood plunks, heav...

When I first became pregnant in 2004, there was one book that moms swore by. It was expensive, those with copies guarded them jealously. I was told the book had everything an expecting mom needed to know about pregnancy and the title – “ What To Expect When You're Expecting ” said it all. Although I was never able to get my hands on a copy, I visited the website regularly and I still do. What I appreciate about WTE, (apart from the detailed information on various topics) is the humor. It was easy to get a slight smile on my face on days when I was bloated, when the world has a sick smell or when I couldn't lift my head off the pillow. There is a wealth of information on this website for ladies trying to get pregnant , are pregnant , have just given birth , have a toddler - the whole nine yards. I just love it. I’m 24 weeks today! I enjoy feeling baby’s movements, I love the tap tap tap, the pokes and twirls, smooth and reassuring. Some of the kicks have been alarmingly painful...

My word! Something is going down up in Uganda. The Bududa landslides that hit eastern Uganda early this month, were a shocker. The destruction and death unfathomable;- whole families suffocated under the mud, children left orphans, fresh widows and widowers. It all happened in the blink of an eye. When King Solomon said life is fleeting, he was spot on, these hard working groups of people woke up to death. No one saw it coming, literally. Last night, the Royal Kasubi tombs caught fire and burnt down - something like rain in the desert. My jaw dropped in shock. What is going on? Acts of God, and now acts of man, what next? I think about the tombs with nostalgia and pride because I ‘m glad I visited this historic site early last year. I saw it in all its glory; the smell of dried banana fibers, dust, coffee beans, backcloth and old wood, now replaced by the choking smell of smoke and ash -all this, turned to ash and emptiness. The relics; the spears, the king’s stuffed leopard, Bugand...

Spinning in circles - circles - circles My stomach churns, my head expands This place I know, this place I've been Trapped in its miry, musty ways I gasp for air and freshness. This routine makes my skin crawl To escape its grip - my one desire But how? Please tell me now I’m drowning, suffocating, writhing Humiliated and exposed. Copyright © Mary Ongwen 2010

Caesar was warned by a seer to be on his guard against a great peril on the Ides of March. On his way to the Theatre of Pompey (where he would be assassinated) Caesar saw the seer and joked "Well, the Ides of March have come," to which the seer replied "Ay, they have come, but they are not gone." Precious memories of Julius Caesar.

It was a Thursday afternoon, around 2:30pm. The sun had his eyes glaring down on us; faces glistened with sweat and wet shirts clang tightly to men’s backs. I was in the cool of my office, enjoying the brilliant invention of air conditioning when a boy walked in. He was a little over 4 feet, he had big round eyes - the kind that grip your heart. His faded grey shorts and what used to be a white shirt hang off his tiny frame, saved from sliping right off by a belt that was tightly locked around his waist. I promptly discontinued my duties to embrace the reason this little soul was in my office; he should have been in school. Our eyes met in a brief locking gaze before he quickly looked down and fell to his knees. I had never seen such pleading marble sized eyes before - eyes drained of all childhood eagerness and play. In the most desperate and dejected of ways, he kept his eyes fixated on the carpet and in a monotone he whispered “Sibyo tyano nyabo” I responded and asked him to speak i...