Understanding the power

Understanding the power
18 January 2026
Courtesy freepik.com


Wires cross
in electric fence
The safeguards
at a loss
The blood thickening is dense
from multiple shards

I walk lanes
in darkest of wood
travel light
as I should
The pathway emblem of plight
the sum of my pains

Bloodied stains
Written over me
My feet halt
forcefully
I walk within my remains
sweating blood and salt

My mind rips
a corner of sky
drunk in sips
through my eye
I wage a battle crushing
wayward thoughts rushing

I hear sounds
a meaningful lie
flaunted clear
causing fear
The world tilting as I cry
racing the dark hounds

My heart sighs
misfortune habit
though from pit
new insight
understanding the power
never to cower

Reading of the poem:
Alexia Evellyn - Savage Daughters (Official Video)

Pencil drawings of women on blue and orange paper

Pencil drawings of women on blue and orange paper
25 October 2025


After lunch and while waiting for electricity to be set up in the reiki and pranic building I had installed in the garden, I decided to draw a couple of female faces to add to those I had already drawn beforehand. I had a portrait of a woman on blue paper and one on orange paper so decided to add one of each today. I plan on having these framed and hung just above the bed in the main bedroom. For the bedroom where my stepdaughter stays on weekends, I am waiting to have her put her own artwork so did not do anything else than furnishing it.

In the corridor I had some of the papyrus paintings I bought in Egypt last year put up and the third bedroom upstairs would house the paintings and other artwork of my daughter Léa. The fourth bedroom downstairs would have either some more of the papyrus paintings or some other artist’s work. In the living/dining room, I had already hung works of Shakeel he painted in 2013 and the paintings are quite big so six of them have covered the whole room which is around 7 m x 4 m

It had been a while since I had drawn with pencils so the drawings are not my best but I think they will do for the place I have destined them to go onto. Even though my hand was not up to the mark, I enjoyed drawing these sketches and look forward to using some of the acrylic painting I just bought from Amazon to paint as it has been years since I painted in acrylic. There is a big mirror above the desk in the main bedroom, and I plan on painting some boat scenes in pastel blues to go with the headboard of the bed which is dark blue. I hope I soon find time to start these paintings as it has been difficult to find time with my busy schedule between work, daily chores, healing of others and just me-time to relax and resource.

I leave you with some music that I was listening to before and after drawing these female portraits.
Shadow dance blues

Pencil drawing of my brother’s daughter

Pencil drawing of my brother’s daughter
17 April 2025


It was recently my niece’s birthday and I had seen a few pictures of her published with the birthday wishes. She is a beautiful girl and was also a beautiful baby. Her picture as a baby appealed to me so I decided to draw her. I did not have much time as I was coordinating some repairs in the place where I will be living soon so it is not as well crafted as I wanted it to be.

I had a bit of trouble with the eyes as the glancing upward effect in the photograph had me puzzled as to how to reproduce it. I decided to stay with a somewhat level gaze instead of an upward one as I simply was not getting it. I used only pencils 4h and 5b for this portrait. I hope you like it.

And as always, mixing the visual, sometimes the spoken but always an audio of the moment, I give you a song which I was listening to when I got the inspiration to draw the portrait.

Sade - Paradise - Official - 1988

Pencil drawing of a third smiling boy

Pencil drawing of a third smiling boy
3 April 2025
Smiling boy drawn by me


I found another beautiful photograph of a smiling boy in the database I had subscribed to and decided to try drawing him today. I feel that my drawing of boys has improved since I started with the small sad boy.

This time I decided to dedicate more time to the shading/blending and drawing of the hair. I am not sure the technique I used to make the sun-kissed hair stand out but I tried my best. I hope you like this pencil portrait because I really like it this time. I think I will start drawing adult male portraits in a few weeks after I have settled into my final accommodation.

And as always, mixing the visual, sometimes the spoken but always an audio of the moment, I give you a song which I was listening to when I got the inspiration to draw the portrait.
Ruby Sinclair – Midnight Lullaby (Soulful Blues Ballad)

Pencil drawing of a second boy

Pencil drawing of a second boy
1 April 2025
Drawing of a boy by me


I found a beautiful photograph of a boy in the database I had subscribed to and decided to try drawing him. As I mentioned before boys and men represent a particular challenge for me as I am mainly used to drawing female subjects. I thought that I should still challenge myself and try to improve my drawing of male subjects.

Again, I was drawn to the eyes and concentrated most of my attention to them. The rest of the drawing, especially the T-shirt was done with more haste and less attention to detail. I hope you like the pencil portrait all the same.

And as always, mixing the visual, sometimes the spoken but always an audio of the moment, I give you a song which I was listening to when I got the inspiration to draw the portrait.
Through The Eyes Of A Child - Aurora

Winding through the I

Winding through the I
31 March 2025
Courtesy freepik.com


I sing low
promises of more
As I see
what I store
within my shadows I grow
the light of true hope

Remember
our love’s periscope
shows morrows
in pale pink
soft masses of brain’s matter
flowing from mind’s ink

We scatter
Clouds of survival
moving slow
through the skies
A sight of rains meets my eyes
monsoon revival

My mind glows
I am creation
My hands move
through my heart
They draw blue lines to impart
a new Earth so close

I will build
within me tall trees
We don’t fall
to our knees
but in prayers we do quell
thirst of the powers

Beast cowers
Its dark splits my sides
bursts insides
Its cry rides
a rainbow blurring its lie
winding through the I

Reading of the poem:
The Seed – Aurora

They grow in angles

They grow in angles
27 March 2025
Courtesy freepik.com


Hush stay still
the shadows reach out
under skin
deep within
they prepare my final kill
pressure to instil

I am dead
Withering heart beats
Laden lead
it repeats
The flow of mercury heats
its cold outer edge

My death lies
to confuse my spies
I walk low
spirit high
My inner realm reaches sky
perfusing me glow

Ring me bells
seek me canticles
I mouth slow
dark riddles
The ones that chime triangles
they grow in angles

Reading of the poem:
Elyanna - AL SHAM (الشام)

Pencil drawing of a smiling girl

Pencil drawing of a smiling girl
24 March 2025
Pencil drawing of a smiling girl by me


I decided to use more of my Vellum paper to make a portrait. Having just recently done a sad boy, I decided to search the database I had subscribed to for a smiling young girl and chanced upon one that appealed to me.

Having dedicated too much time to the eyes in my last drawing and not enough on the rest of the face, I decided I would only do an outline of the eyes and complete them after doing the rest of the drawing. I think that it makes for a more harmonious overall face but I will let you be the judges of that.

And as always, mixing the visual, sometimes the spoken but always an audio of the moment, I give you a song which I liked associated to the drawing.
I decided to add hair on the left side as there was too little and it was not symmetrical
Blues of a Woman's Life

Pencil drawing of a boy

Pencil drawing of a boy
21 March 2025
Pencil drawing of a boy by me


In the same facebook group for beginners in pencil drawings and shared by the same member I saw a beautiful photograph of a young boy three days ago and I felt compelled to draw it. I did not have much time as I had been doing other things including writing and I also did not want to use coloured paper. I had seen somewhere a lady comment on the fact that she had used Vellum paper so I searched for it on Amazon and got it delivered to me yesterday. I was too busy though to do anything yesterday evening but I got time today after 5 pm to start drawing the boy. This was a particular challenge for me as I usually only draw female subjects and am not at ease drawing male subjects.

I started out with the silhouette as usual and then concentrated on the eyes. I think I got too focused on them and then a lot more focused on the right eye which unfortunately I drew bigger than the other. By the time I had got down to the rest of the face, I was starting to get impatient and after taking some time for the nose and mouth, I realized at the end that I had scarcely paid attention to the cheeks, chin and neck. As rash as ever when I start getting bored with something (a remnant of my hyperactive self), I decided to just abruptly end the drawing and just coloured the shirt with big strokes that I then blended. I think it also may be because of how the music made me feel at the end. I hope you like the pencil portrait all the same. I will also post this on the facebook group.

And as always, mixing the visual, sometimes the spoken but always an audio of the moment, I give you a song which I was listening to while drawing.

Beyond Borders - Dr L Subramaniam, George Duke, Stanley Clarke, Billy Cobham & Bindu Subramanian

Pencil drawing of a woman

Pencil drawing of a woman
17 March 2025
Pencil drawing by me


I had joined a facebook group for beginners in pencil drawings and chanced upon a photograph yesterday that I found intriguing. It was shared by a member of the group who had attempted to replicate it in a drawing and was successful to an extent. I realized that it was a difficult image as it lacked symmetry, and many features had a downward trend increasing the complexity of the drawing to be made.

I decided to draw it myself today to see whether I could replicate, to a point, the photograph. I started off with a coloured paper and regretted it as there were highlights that would have normally been done with a white pencil but this was not possible with the coloured paper. I still thought it would make sense to use the white pencil for the highlights and the effect is a strange mixture of realism and cartoon-like impressions where the white pencil markings were made. I hope you like it all the same. I will also post this on the facebook group.

And as always, mixing the visual, sometimes the spoken but always an audio of the moment, I give you a song which I was listening to while drawing.

The below is the photograph used as reference for the drawing

Amber Mark - Love Is Stronger Than Pride