In These words

The Matatu Nation

A 24 hr Discotheque
The matatu is -
Smelling old but looking new
A moving venue
The meeting of night's nudity
And the day's hasty dress-up
everyday:

A continuous blast vibrating every diaphragm
Every passenger's ear drum
Unwilling? Uninterested? Unawake? Unconscious?
Like it or not, in fact, blast you!
Video on wide plasma splaying the morning dimness
With high-hemmed skirt-dance, low-necked boob-tops
Highly offensive on scratchy CD and low dpi.
But no one speaks. No one thinks.

Twenty-four hour-old sweat
Versus four-hundred-bob-a-can cologne.
The meet-a-deadline urgency in a trouser suit
Meets with the half-sleepy half-dressed determination,
'I need an e-pill fast!'

Although Nonini is singing 'Si Lazima Tu Do'
Alcohol-found bravado's alive in the back seat
Disco-sourced romance
Climaxes in a careless kiss,
Unabated madness
Escalates into a fondling bout,
Unabashed, openly fooling about.

The stale stench of a chain-smoked night
clings onto bright coloured, velvety upholstery.
At the mercy of a broom, looking up from the floor-
Cigarette butts. A lone shoe.
Twenty bob coin. Pre-puke sputum.

Unspoken curses
Un-regretted recklessness
Private business done in public space
The merging of stench and perfume,
Riot and calm in limited room
Gold and scum- and none fighting none-
Fuse in flawless humanity,
The condition of a long road
Just the way God meant it
Perfect in stench as in hope
The matatu nation is one.

The Other Nations

Outside the matatu nation
Is a short poem.
A staggering drunk grabs for support
Misses a post to find a woman's front
Spruced for the office.

Two loud smacks-
One for fury, one for effect.
You awake suddenly!
You find the path home
Anticipating the regular mugger
He's probably caught in an early morning snooze
Or had his fill already- so you wish
And doze off as you walk off.

Two jarring blows.
One to wake you up, one to knock you out.
Outside the matatu nation
Is a bitch.