THE EASTAFRICANPOET

This is one of the finest pieces of poetry I ever heard,so fine that I just had to share..enjoy. weep not child, from the same by the great Ngungi Wa Thiongo. WEEP NOT CHILD, WEEP NOT MY DARLING. WITH THESE KISSES LET ME REMOVE YOUR TEARS, THE RAVENING CLOUDS SHALL NOT LONG REMAIN VICTORIOUS, THEY SHALL NOT LONG POSSES THE SKY..

It is not a disputed fact that I like to " randaranda ",my mama tried to beat that behaviour out of me but it was inborn I guess..Now this fine day I was " randaing" all over the web and I GOOGLED Kenyan poetry ,what came up was a blog spot ,yes..a blog spot or at least a way to get into it. I of course rushed there and I found that it is the official blog of Kenyan poetry ,that I dispute coz so many brothers and sisters out there have been blogging beautiful poetry since blogging became mainstream. But the punch in this blog is that it promise s to give us poetry that was submitted to THE KENYA ASSOCIATION OF POETS in the 1980s and 1990s,now isn't that lovely ?Considering that not so many of our generation were not born back then, I think its going to be lovely and poetically speaking refreshing.. Yours faithfully, EAPOET ,has provided a link directly to this blog that promises to be a change.Just click KENYAN POETRY on the link list on your rig...

IN THE BEGINNING THERE WAS WATER AND THE WATER WAS OF GOD AND THE WATER WAS GOD. SO I.. I'M BESIDE THE WATERS OF OUR PARK OF FREEDOM FREEDOM? WHERE THE MOST LUSH OF THE CITY'S GRASS EXISTS IN BEAUTY SO BARE SO RARE THAT ONLY THE EYES CAN TELL IT THIS IS WHAT PROF. MAZRUI CALLED THE POETRY OF GRAND ISOLATION THE DESOLATION AND HOPELESSNESS THAT BREEDS HOPE AND FAITH THE PICTURE OF HEAVEN TO A DESERT DWELLER.. WATER.. IN ABUNDANCE, IN THE BLISSFUL ETERNITY OF MOIST HUMIDITY AND WETNESS. GODLY WETNESS. THE HOPELESSNESS THAT MAKES ONE WANT TO DIE SO BAD WHEN YOU WANT TO DIE SO BAD AND YOU GOT ONLY SAND AROUND YOU YOU REALISE THAT YOU HAVE KEPT GOD WAITING AND IN THIS WAITING HE GIVES YOU A SECOND MORE TO BREATH WITH THAT YOU SHOUT,"ALLAH U AKBAR!" HE IS INDEED GREAT AND YOUR LUNGS ACHE BECAUSE THE SHOUT BURNT, THE THROAT IS NOW HOARSE AND THE TONGUE IS DRY.. I AM HOMO AESTHETICUS, I INDEED APPRECIATE BEAUTY THAT IS JUST ME AND ME IS YOU,JUST AS SHE IS HE THAT...

NOW,NOW,NOW..WHAT DOES MY SCRAWNY SELF HAVE TO SAY? THAT ITS A NEW YEAR!AND I AM A WHOLE 20 SOMETHING DAYS LATE IN TELLING ANYONE AND EVERYONE OUT THERE IN CYBERSPACE,HAPPY NEW YEAR!WHICH IS THE OFFICIAL CLICHE OF JANUARY. I WANT TO SAY HOW I STAYED IN SOME QUEUE FOR CLOSE TO 6 HOURS, THAT'S A QUARTER OF A DAY ,TO VOTE;YES YOU HEARD IT,VOTE.AND THAT NOW I AM NURSING WOUNDS COURTESY OF "POST POLL VIOLENCE WHICH HAS ROCKED PARTS OF THE COUNTRY.."I SOUND LIKE A BORED NEWS ANCHOR.BUT I WONT TALK ABOUT IT I WANT TO SAY HOW I SO MUCH THOUGHT THAT MY VOTE WAS MY "WEAPON"AS THAT MILLION SHILLING ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN CLAIMED AND THAT MY VOTE DID REALLY "COUNT".COUNT THEY SAID, COUNTED EVEN BEFORE I HAD CAST IT.PATHETIC. I WILL NOT TELL YOU HOW MUCH FAITH I HAVE IN MY COUNTRY ,FAITH AS MUCH AS A GRAIN OF SAND,AND EVEN THAT IS THAT THINGS WILL JUST BE AS MEAN AS THEY WERE LAST YEAR.NO I WILL NOT TELL YOU. I WILL TELL YOU THIS.. THAT THIS IS MOS DEF OUR YE...

OK,ITS BEEN A GREAT YEAR ESPECIALLY FOR US POETS OR ANYONE WHO CAN DROP GREAT AND AT THE SAME TIME LOVELY WORD.THERE ISN'T A LOT TO BE SAID ONLY THAT POETRY IN KENYA AND EAST AFRICA AS AWHOLE IS GROWING.. KUDOS TO ALL WHO SWEATED IT OUT IN THE MUSCLE AND BRAIN TO MAKE SURE THIS REVOLUTION GETS BETTER. TO kwani ,the kenyanpoet ,c- quel , wapi ..AND A WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE WHO DID IT GOOD. PAMOJA ! WE PRAY AND HOPE 2008 BECOMES A BETTER YEAR FOR THIS MOVEMENT. PEACE!

A few years ago we all lined up with our ID cards and election cards to "choose" or rather elect leaders we thought could pull this our country out of the melt- down it was wallowing in. See nobody could blame us if we did the right or the wrong because we were a bunch of invalids who were ready and desperate for anything that could cure us of the disease that was eating at us. Whether we were shortchanged or not remains a matter of personal opinion,how I look at it might or might not be how you or she looks at it.Its all personal. These two poems are about the flip side of our society after the "second(2002) revolution." BETWEEN ITS ONCE AGAIN THE SEASON OF MADNESS BUT WHAT FILLS OUR HEARTS IS GLADNESS SOMEONE SAID,"these politics of primitivity ought to be in the museum of antiquity as its where it belongs.." SO ITS ONLY FAIR THAT WE SHARE AND UNLEASH WITH THE GREATEST OF MENTAL FLAIR WHAT ACHES IN OUR INSIDE IN A WAY SO THOROUGH THAT WE CANNOT HIDE. S...

Few things are as overrated as love,by this I mean the affinity two people have for each other,maybe only sex.Being a cliche that it is,I decided to consolidate on its " clicheness "(if I may)by doing one more piece on this exhausted issue.. This is for the woman that I gave my measly self in exchange for.My lady PRICELESS: ITS ALL ABOUT YOU AS ITS ALL OF YOU, ITS THE ILLUMINATING SMILE THE GRACE OF THE WALK THE SENSITIVE AND SOFT FOOTSTEP. THE EYES,THE THIGHS THE HIPS,THE LIPS THE TRUTHS,THE LIES THE PAINS,THE PLEASURES.. THAT MAKE ME STICK ON YOU LIKE A BUTTERFLY TO A ROSE THE SOFT AND PETAL LIKE KISS OR YOUR ECSTASY AND THE HISS.. THE WHISPERS IN MY EARS AND THE KILLING OF MY FEARS, THE ACCEPTANCE OF MY YEARS AND THE SHOULDER FOR MY TEARS. THE TEARS THAT ONLY YOU GETS TO SEE AND THE FEARS THAT ONLY YOU GETS TO SHAR E. THE ONLY ONE THAT GETS TO FEEL MY CARE AND THE ONE WHOM I KNOW WILL BE THERE. WHETHER MY WALLETS HEAVY OR NOT IF I AM HERE OR NOT AND WHEN WE BIN...