WESTGATE MALL ATTACK: REMEMBERING POET KOFFI AWOONOR

We are out of words so be borrow a few from the fallen Ghanaian poet Kofi Awoonor. From his poem Song of Sorrow. #weareone 

Something has happened to me
The things so great that I cannot weep; 
I have no sons to fire the gun when I die
And no daughter to wail when I close my mouth
I have wandered on the wilderness
The great wilderness men call life
The rain has beaten me, 
And the sharp stumps cut as keen as knives
I shall go beyond and rest.
I have no kin and no brother, 
Death has made war upon our house

FATUMA’S VOICES: KENYAN POETS HIGH ON ALPHABETIC VODKA

They say Nairobi is a fad-city; where changes of scene and taste occur almost by the week. We caught up with the Kenyan Poet Lounge at the Fatuma’s Voices event at the Pawa254 hub on Thursday 25^th July.

Poets; bands and friends of the Kenyan Poets Lounge were all here for an evening of poetry. The theme revolved around “education and what we learn in school.”

The event brought together both the urban legend generations of spoken word and slam poetry. There was music meeting poetry and even theatrical performances.

Fatuma is the society- you and me! And this was an n opportunity to venture around the public debate of what is affection us as a society honestly; without biasness.

The poets touched on good governance; recent bestiality events rocking the nation; teacher’s strike; unemployment and even sex.

Check them out-https://www.facebook.com/groups/KenyanPoetsLounge/

Check the album here-https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.505325029544873.1073741857.440804702663573&type=1

For those asking about Fatuma; well… read on…

Fatuma is an underprivileged 50-year-old woman. She was born dumb which means she has over 22,000,000 Million words still trapped within her and yet she has not eaten for days…

However, Fatuma has hope! She has found new friends who are willing to speak on her behalf. Friends who are willing to speak on her behalf without expecting anything in return…

Will her dream of speaking out finally come true or is this just a dream?

Well, you decide because you are one of the friends who Fatuma’s future relies on!

Here is a poem about Fatuma:

FATUMA’S VOICE

Fatuma is crying.

But, Fatuma is still trying…

To push the right amount of air through her voice box so that she may speak,

However, she can’t, you see she was born dumb…

Two healthy women speak an eigth of 50,000 words a day,

Since she is now 50, you decide how many words are still trapped within her,

Words that keep accumulating, just like air into a balloon,

She has not been eating well,

But you can almost see the words making her tummy swell,

Ready to explode, she is now a time bomb, that is why they are afraid of her,

She is becoming dangerous and they know it,

But she has no clue…

To know more about Fatuma, check out the following Kenyan Poets Lounge link:

Website: www.kenyanpoetslounge.com/FatumaSpeaking

ON A PIECE OF PAPER

On a piece of paper

I lay open my feelings and thoughts

I lay open my fears and tears

On a piece of paper

I find a friend to talk to

The writings comfort and console me

On a piece of paper

I speak to the world

I tell them of the longing in my heart

I write of my problems and fears, 

hoping that my tears wont erase my words.

 I scribble, hoping my eyes wont close from this exhausation.

 I support my hand as I write another line,

 to let you know of my pain.

 Hoping that you'll read this piece I am writing. 

Hoping you'll see my weakness and the dangers that pursue me.

 Without you, everything is hopeless.

 I am writing for you my love - On a piece of paper

I take letters from my heart,

 to quench this desire on this paper.

 My only friend, the paper has promised to communicate with you.

 I saw no other option. You refused to listen to me speak. 

You hanged up on me, you ignored my texts. I am not sure why you crushed my world.

 I built it for us hoping together we'd find a home 

and make an eternity of bliss. I am writing for you my pain - On a piece of paper

You closed your doors on me,

 leaving me to bleed to death, 

you let rain harass me out here alone. 

Yet you are my strength and warmth.

 I lit a candle in the rain, praying it wont die out,

 so that when you stared out the window you'd see me writing your name with wax on my skin.

 I tried everything I could think of but you my dear, refused to listen. 

I knocked on your door a million times until my coronation as "the king of broken hearts." 

Why my dear do you refuse me? Yet I am writing for you my efforts - On a piece of paper

I am lonely.

 I am tired of crying.

 Please I beg, remember me everywhere you go.

 I called your name daily.

 You were all I could think of thru' the night.

 I chased your shadow mostly, you were always too fast for me, for I would fall.

 'Cause I do not have my heart.

 You stole my heart. 

The fire you started in me has refused to die instead it has multiplied because of your walls. 

I am tired of this habit of writing - On piece of paper

Come to me my love,

 be my friend. Come I show you all the library of papers that have your name. 

Come comfort and console me. Come we preach to the world of our victory together.

 Come see my fears and tears.

 I wanna show you my feelings and share with you my thoughts.

 Please my lovely darling, help me breath fully once more.

 I do not want to die before holding and kissing you.

 I wanna write on your heart and not - On a piece of paper

Eddy Ongili

PenAftermath2013©

DEAR STRANGER

I wonder the array of confusion you brought to my

life

I wonder the throbs of my heart that you caused

with your smile

I let you in, with a conviction that I'd finally met

my angel

A sweet angel, who invaded the loneliness of my

sheets

Tearing away the cold, you did let the sun shine in

the night I met you

'Twas only this night I fell in love and got lost as fast as I saw you blinkin'.

Youmade me loose myself into your arms

O stranger

Dear stanger

O stranger, my dear

O dear stranger

Eddy Ongili

How wonderous were you to me that night you

echoed the motions of my body

When you did

infact bless me with a short but everlasting

remembrance of the joy you gave me

But as we

rose and fell in my bed, as we made love, I got

confused at your rubbing

I felt Aphrodite had misled me yet Cupid insisted I was at the right place I had to escape the loving grip of your lips

I had to move away from you

I never got to know your name

I never got to listen to your heartbeat

All I heard were groans and moans

But I did hear you say, you'd like to be with me - I

heard you say you love me

stranger

Why did I chase you away in the middle of the

night

Why, when I thought I had finally met my love

In some way, I thought you were just a ghost

haunting me, because of my loneliness But I felt

you, you were so real

I felt the touch of your kisses and hands

I felt you drinking the love in my cup, I felt you

enjoying the pureness of my cup

I hope you found somewhere to lie that night I

banged the door on you I hope you remember me

You brought something I feel I really need now

I need you stranger, atleast your name first

Where are you stranger?

PenAftermath(COPYRIGHTED)

YOU ASKED ME

You asked me if I could be your friend, your only

true friend - I gave you the world

You asked me if I could be there for you, if I could

come running to you in times of trouble - I

promised to be your friend forever

You asked me what it means to love, what is love -

I told of a love that's beautiful that only a friend

could give

You asked me if one day, I'll decide to walk away, if

anything got wrong between us - I reminded you

that no mistakes or troubles will ever seperate us

You asked me if I will not be there in your times of

trial, if I'd leave you when you needed the most - I

swore that whatever the circumstances, I will

respond to your calls and answer your texts

You asked me if I loved you, what I felt for you - I

said I love you like no one in this world. I

confessed my love to you that is pure and

appreciative, a love that will blossom forever, a

love that will make you smile whenever I texted

you.

You asked me if I care, if I could do anything for

you - I said, not the whole world could carry the

care thats in my heart for you

You asked me who I am to you, if I was just a

dream - I assured you that I am real, I am your real

and true friend. You're a friend who is precious and whom I cherish

From all this I gained the world

All I got is your smiles and pure love

The beauty in your eyes and the joy of the voice in

your heart

All I enjoyed were your texts and lovely wishes

I am thankful that you're all I got

Thank you my dear rose

All I got is a beautiful angel, a sweet rose

Thanks for being my friend

Eddy Ongili

PenAftermath©