Hadiyat my love
How can they understand the mystery of the Phoenix?
When they don't know the riddle of the Sphinx?
For I found you in the dungeon
Where I slew the fiery Red Dragon
In the land of the Crescent and the Moon.
Before the masked Saracens led you astray
Wandering in the Sahara in a solitary way.
And I feared the worst of all fears
As I followed the trail of your crystal tears.
For you prayed for my coming
In the dawn of the morning
And I came on the back Pegasus
After my conquest of Cerberus.
They did not know that before you were born
Your destiny was sealed in the golden horn
In the golden horn of the unicorn.
Welcome back my beloved one.Come to bed to rest.
And tell me the fables and tales of the East.
“Why do you come here, when you know I've got troubles in enough? Why do you call me, when you know I can't answer the phone?” she asks her forbidden lover in the song. Keisha's powerful vocal delivery cements the words to "The Weakness In Me" deep into the minds of every listener.
'The Weakness In Me' is Keisha's own interpretation of a beautiful love song first recorded by acclaimed British artist, Joan Armatrading in 1975. The song is an emotionally charged ballad based on a young woman's tale on her guilt-ridden relationship with another man. 
2006-02-22 13:45:00
By Sarah Williams
She is a rising star in the States, but right now, North London's finest, Keisha White, who has been compared to Ms Dynamite and often called 'the great White hope' is staying in the UK to finish what she started and ride the wave of wonderful praise she's been receiving ever since the release of her debut album, 'Seventeen' early last year.
With a honeyed voice that drips with soul and sounds much more mature than her 19 years, its not surprising that Keisha was signed to Warner Records at an age when most teenagers are worried about their clothes and what makeup to wear. After all she was only 16.
As a girl growing up, singing was always a part of the teenager's life so it would have been unnatural for her to do anything else, especially since her mother was also a singer and a major influence on her daughters chosen career path.
"My mum was the main person who inspired me to do music. I used to go to shows and sing with her. I was about 13 years old when I fully realised I wanted to do it professionally and I think its something that was always in me. It was inevitable that I would do it too."
Like her daughter, Keisha's mother was a professional singer with more than a touch of soul. She sang songs that were in the same vain as 80s soul sensation Chaka Khan and the formidable Aretha Franklin and this, Keisha believes, is definitely where her "soul came from."
After wowing the industry with her ambition and amazing vocal talent, (one particular highlight was on Paul Oakenfold's 'The Harder They Come') Keisha went on to tour with Lemar, Jamelia, The Black Eyed Peas and record a slick genre hopping debut album at the tender age of 17, which resulted in her being nominated for a British Urban Music Award.
She may have set the UK music industry buzzing, but it was our American counterparts who really took her to their hearts.
After spending time in the US, Keisha's collaborated with hip-hopper Cassidy on last years hit 'Don't Care Who Knows.' She co-wrote songs on her debut with one of the hottest writers, Balewa Muhammad, who's responsible for hits by Christian Aguilera and Whitney Houston and she's worked with one of most respected and in demand producers in the industry, Scott Storch (Beyonce, Christian Aguilera, Dr Dre).
The producer extraordinaire even put Janet Jackson's last album on hold to work with her.
"Scott's a great guy," She tells me, like working with the greatest urban producer in the world is something we can all one day be lucky enough to do. "He's one of the most rated producers in the hip-hop urban world and he's a great musician. I think he really liked me because he wanted to work with someone who wasn't really established in Britain. We got on well and got some fantastic records out of it."
It's not surprising that, like many of Britain's talented urban artists, the States seem to have noticed and embraced her soulful talent a hell of a lot quicker than we have, which ultimately is a real shame for us.
Americans, Keisha says, not only love her voice but also who she is and what she's about. She puts this down to that fact that while in a flagging urban music industry, Britain struggles to nurture their artists to their full potential, "Americans get the plot." More details
Love at second sight
By Susan Rabin and Barbara Lagowski
As an author, therapist and flirting expert, let me share this story with you:
Tara, 31, was looking for a guy who appreciated art and liked physical activity. And most of all, she was looking for a man she could talk to who would talk back—not from his vocal chords but from his heart. Esteban — the professor Tara had been set up with by her friend Jen — had none of these qualities. Esteban peered at her and said little. Tara sat quietly, hoping that silence would draw out her reticent date. The date, of course, was their last. 
But a week later, Tara was at a street fair when she saw Jen salsa dancing with Esteban! Tara was shocked. Who was this wild-and-crazy guy? And why had Esteban been such a stick-in-the-mud with her? Jen shared: Esteban didn’t like talking about himself, but he was a font of information about history—and a wonderfully enthusiastic dancer. Esteban had come to life at the street fair. He wasn’t just erudite, he was loads of fun. Esteban was just the kind of guy she had told Jen she was seeking. Why hadn’t she seen that when she had a chance?
The myth of love at first sight
Love at first sight is the cosmetically-enhanced superstar in the emotional pantheon. It is showy; explosively, totally overblown; and it gets all the media. Think of the way it is portrayed: Two hapless people are miraculously drawn into each other’s orbits. Their eyes meet. Their hearts open. Bells ring, birds sing. But how many of us are so busy listening for bells that we never hear the quiet “click” that signals deep, lasting affection?
It gives us pause when we hear someone say, “I married my best friend.” Finding both passion and devotion in a single person can seem impossible until we take a closer look at our attitudes. Many of us believe that love “happens,” but friendship develops. That kind of thinking eliminates all of those worthy prospects who capture our hearts day by day.
So your date was not love at first sight. Is he or she worth a second look? Consider these eye-opening romantic strategies.
Don’t be the typecasting type.
“I like tall, slender blonds,” my friend Vicki announced. That’s fine. I have an inclination for classical art—but that doesn’t keep me from appreciating a cubist sculpture.
If you feel that you can discern which partner might be right for you on first glance or from across the room, look at your belief system. Does the physical type you prefer reveal something about the image you want to portray? What physical characteristics denote success to you? Sensitivity? Uber-cool?
Your happiness is at stake here. The choosing of a new friend should at least merit the consideration you would put into selecting new shoes: Style is a factor, but comfort is key. It may take a bit of aimless strolling to know if the fit is right.
Focus on what’s really important.
Some people come to us for a reason; others are important to us for a season. Which type of person is the one you are with? If a fling is in order, throw caution to the wind. But if it’s lasting love you’re looking for, then friendship and communication must develop. Give a new friendship time to take its course.
Set to “defrost.” Wait.
Even in this age, when confession is considered good for the soul, there are still many people who do not spill their guts until they’ve gotten to know you. If he seems reserved, maybe he’s saving himself for someone who’ll put in a little effort. If she is the kind of nut you might like, but a tough one to crack, maybe she’s looking for the right person to open up to. People don’t warm at the same rates. Give your partner a little time to acclimate.
Are you being too picky?
Think of the last 20 men or women you’ve dated. Go through it, checking off the men or women you were attracted to. If you feel attracted to at least half of the men/women you date, you are open to a healthy range of types and personalities. But if you are having a hard time mustering up interest in the people who want to see you, you may have set your sights especially high.
Know the difference between a harmless habit and a deal-breaker.
Something may be bugging you about a recent date, but is it a permanent or passing issue? I can’t tell you how many men and women I know how gave a perfectly nice date the boot because he or she was too chubby, couldn’t dance, didn’t like museums, was a vegetarian, or showed some other characteristic that might evolve. Meanness or intellectual dullness may be a permanent condition, but hair, hips and habits are subject to change. Don’t be quick to say good-bye forever to someone who might mellow over time.
Consider a change of venue.
If he’s a dud over dinner, if she’s a clod on the tennis court, it is possible that these are not the places where he or she can shine! Set up a second date, but allow him or her to choose the location or the activity. Even a jewel loses its luster when it’s not in the right setting.
Excerpted from "Lucky in Love" by Susan Rabin and Barbara Lagowski. Copyright Susan Rabin and Barbara Lagowski, 2005. Used by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. May only be downloaded for non-commercial use.
My Sapphire of Love is the most charming blog in the world and if you doubt me, check it out. Seeing is Believing!
Sapphire of Love is the most cosmopolitan romantic blog on the Internet. Because of my eclectic and altruistic nature and I believe that being eclectic and altruistic will make us more beneficial to ourselves than trying to be superior to another.
Let us all be more charming.
My baby just told me that she is still weak after some injections.
She is on medication for malaria. And she has not been able to go to work for over a week now. She couldn't even speak aloud. I am now worried and I feel like going back to Lagos to be with her. Because, Linda needs me now.
Right now, I am not thinking of poetry or some upright boobs with arrowhead tits. Yes, Love is the ether of sex when sex is an expression of true love. And there is a mysterious kind of love that has no domain. No searches on Google or Yahoo can produce the results. Because, there is no vocabulary in any dictionary that you can find to describe this mysterious love. This love is made in 12th Heaven.
