Nairobi is a quick lover

 First flash: a business-bright billboard smile;

A suit far too neat for the jam on Jogoo Road;

A suit too well knit, too well fitting, too good

For anyone real.

Then he moves- inside the billboard-

Two steps forward, one to the side

Hand glides out of pocket with a slide

Phone. Best leg forward. Pose.

 

(") Pause.

Nairobi stops to watch, to save to memory

This magic of a man - perfection personified.

This memory merges with others in vogue:

The hunky hero on movie magic,

A one-time White House guest turned iconic,

The muscled advert-face relic

And any other on any magazine

In Nairobi or any city else.

 

(>) Play

Feet fall close in a life so fast paced-

Nairobi eyes are bewitched with contact allergy

Like a bad case of cross-eyes.

They are busy eyes.

Shoulders meet hard and repel

Jostling for that wear; that look

Dying to catch Mr. Nairobi's eye-

Actually dying.

 

 When he breathes,

women save for steam irons

For the latest tights on watched weights.

The gyms pack full, lunch spots close shop.

When Nairobi raises his eyes

Women raise their hems.

 

 Boutique prizes up-shift.

Credit  firms reach-out to you, brother:

A thousand eyes eying a single image

With similar need, fast-bred greed-

To have a neat lawn- by a street swept daily at dawn

To park in the mezzanine- a concept car.

(Property agents drop bellies fast.)

To have the next technology now. Now!

The Messaging-optimised E-series with 4G

For sms, for facebook and for flashing with glee!

Or the 2TB HDD, 8GB RAM, 3.2 Ghz Core i7

For single finger snail-typing,

gaming and getting you the 'Lo!'

From that impossible work mate -

Never mind the fortune

Nairobi likes you looking great!

And anyways, for the neighbour's eye,

What’s too dear to buy?

Be it a tool or a ruse!

Mustn’t you pay for but hardly use

In Nairobi?

 

In the catch-my-eyes dance

Ubuntu dies and is buried at Kimathi's feet,

To keep stillborn uhuru company.

But Nairobi's a walking city,

Or a one-train-a-day affair,

Matatus shuttling at capacity,

In a jam with single-occupant cars,

 

And for a single moment, you look like him-

Or right for him.

You are ecstatic, you are Nairobi!

 Or Nairobi's newest whore

Angel-looking

High-heeled

Sleek-suited

UAE-cologned

On-demand smiling

Junk-fed

Over-worked

Overspending

Man and woman.

Nairobi will bed you quick!

Then fire you

Then sue you for bankruptcy

Then auction your concept car

Then you hit the road -

A truly fulfilled fool!

A truly fulfilled fool!

The Forgotten Bomb

(Adapted into Madonna’s song ‘Don’t Cry for Me Argentina’’s tune: Don’t cry for me, oh my daddy The truth is i will leave you This is my youthfulness Troubled existence You’ve kept your distance And i have lost my patience) Do you know your son? Flesh and blood your own? Burning ambition to build this nation? The skill in these hands- The will to toil our lands? Fears, frightful frustrations; Pain of remaining forgotten Unconsulted, untended Don’t you care? Daddy, sincerely… Must you always brush by? Push me away; Kick me aside like a stone in your way? Then briskly…phew! *** “To ‘men’s business’, diligent engagements And I promise -before my demise The surest bequest -for you my dearest: A top job That house on the hill, For a car - a Hummer.” *** “But when…?” *** “Your time will come Till then, be calm! *** Morning after morning A decade of identical mornings A pile of empty promises- And I have felt small- Unremarkable; Like the lightest dust On the tiniest tin On the lowest shelf I have groped into darkness dragged into drugs by idleness; Attempted suicide instead, died inside! Yearning for the sky But falling anyway While you were away *** “Minding our economy; minting money Taming our climate; changing our fate Am a busy daddy, wait till 2030!” *** (Adapted into Kidum’s song ‘Penzi la Fujo’s tune: M i na shangaa, wewe ukisema Eti unanipenda, hali unanitesa, Si vizuri daddy wewe kuwa nafiki Mbona hujajaribu kurekebisha Bila hivyoimekuwa mateso Ya kunikera, najihisi sifaii ii! Consequently I’ve felt inconsequent! Essentially inessential! I have felt like nothing Lost in a pile of…nothing! I have felt…feelingless! But while I lay prostrate Beaten, smitten, desperate; Looking for a place to hide my face What did I find! Myspace! Facebook- the new face of friendship! Twitter- calling all to fellowship! A voice! A tune! A low rumbling call- Piped in underground tunnels; I listened: revelation! Revolution! Voices south, voices north Young dreams voiced forth… Tunisian, Egyptian, Lybian Music brewing, boiling in hidden pots The sound of a common cry Crying a summon to all A clarion call Decrying a common foe Crying but calling to war- Adapted from Sarafina the Movie song ‘Usulela! Ia!Ulela! Ia! Ia!*2 Suddenly, I am strong! I prance with aplomb The young forgotten bomb Loaded with information Awaiting detonation! You! Yes, daddy, you! The wide world knows You’re immersed in mess after mess Scandal after scandal- Irregular tenders Kickbacks back to back- Party politics-cheap tricks Shameless theatrics And now, says Wikileaks,- It’s just you and The Hague This charge is not vague! Adapted from Shakira song ‘Stamina Mina’: Stamina mina ii! Ii! Waka waka ii ii! Stamina mina zangalewa, it’s time for Africa! But, daddy… Honestly, what of amnesty? But, no! Punishment, not impunity! But daddy…! but no! Come… let go! I do… I do not ! know The music of change Must beat without rage; Repentance, recompense Not pay back but give back. Take my hand now, daddy We must fly away Into a new season In my own vision.