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Thursday, 9 October 2014

40th Day



Jobless, cashless, stress. Stealing? Yes
Kushikwa kwa wenyewe!
Robbery, Burglary, today was not a success
Rungu na mawe!
Powerless, defenseless, beaten senseless
Kama burukenge!
Helpless, breathless, soon to be lifeless
Mob justice, umati!
Crowd that knows nothing about forgiveness
Mafuta na Kiberiti!
Burning, screaming, until he was motionless
Now call 911!
Police yellow tape, ambulance and camera flashes
Next stop morgue!
Then public cemetery, family in black, ashes to ashes
Moment of silence!

-Edwin Onyango

Monday, 6 October 2014

Hope In Kibera (State House In The Slum)



Stomach upset
Flying toilets
Tourism target?!
Slum in sunset
Kibera’s silhouette 
Slum tours! Bullshit
Slum gangs, robbery suspects
Lived by the gun died by the bullet
People surviving on empty pockets
Fully loaded black leather wallets
Just the national ID card and a prospect
A Muzungu’s business card and a few other contacts
Flyers of music concerts and 2012 art contests
He came, saw, took pictures, wept and left
It was total nightmare as he slept
It’s a slum. What did he expect?
Smiles on our faces as though everything was perfect?
The following day he came with some concepts
Kibra Youth and women empowerment projects
Now we reflect and redirect our hopes to a new subject
State house in the Slum, but  first class social status not yet

-Edwin Onyango

Sunday, 5 October 2014

It Will Get Better



Layers of tattered jackets, fighting the cold with a wet blanket!
Scared of the mysterious facets of life in this haunted planet
One too many of the tablets, next step, toes up in a wooden casket
Face it. Life is not always butterflies, rainbows and unicorns
You mourn the dead while others celebrate their newborns
Believe me when I tell you that I know what it means to be sad
I too lost my mom at a tender age and I have never met my dad
I have eaten from dumpsters and slept in the cold in the streets
With nothing decent to eat I wondered the streets on bare feet
Memories I wish to forget, but the pictures are not easy to delete
I met the most amazing person on earth when I was almost giving up
The timing was just right. Clouded with pain, I had just taken the last sup
She held my hands and told me to be strong 'coz everything will be alright
“It is always darker before dawn” she said. And then she showed me light
Tears of the son, tears on the sun, dried out. A new phase of life had just begun
So, listen to me when I tell you the same. Be strong and never give up
Hold tight and push through it. It will get better. I promise

-Edwin Onyango

Sunday, 28 September 2014

I Am The Best Of Myself



I am the one, the light, the diamond that glows in the dark

They threw me out but I built a shelter with the bricks they rejected
I am the one they still hear, the sound of the music in the CD they ejected

They spat on me in the streets but I showered in the cold rains
They smashed my heart but I still had blood flowing in my veins
I am the one, the bolt cutter that conquered all their chains

They stopped me at one but I became the master, I made it to eleven
They took away my voice but I still sang like angels in heaven
They stopped paying my tuition fee but I still am the talent I was given
I am the one, the artist, the poet, the one who is self driven

They showed me two roads but I took the third one
They took away the bullets but I still cocked the gun
They called me a bastard but I was still my mother’s son
They only showed me storms but I still waited for the sun
I am the one; the man that did what they thought couldn’t be done

They hid the stars but I still made a wish in the darkness of the night
They stopped the wind but I still floated in the dry skies like a kite
They chained me and paralyzed me but I still stood up to fight
 Blind folded, I still painted their black with my brilliant white
They even denied me a student visa but I still booked the flight
I am the one, among VIPs. The guest of honor they did not invite

-Edwin Onyango

Saturday, 27 September 2014

Beggars's Status Quo



So, he asked them to bend over and they did
He knew all they had was heads filled with sewer liquid
I don’t mean to be mean but yes, they were all stupid
He asked them to play dead for the late night show
But to please him they actually died on the stage!
The next crew was a cluster of idiots from Stone Age
They read the white blank book page by page
And when they came across “Aaarrrggh!” his rage
They ran like headless chickens. No! They ran Like Hell
Another group of imbecile buffoons did the same as well
They later had a “turning point” realization of his magic spell
His vast wealth, his Money and his ultimate power,
His knowledge - Something they knew nothing about
Not even street smart! They were all life lessons-dropouts!
He delayed their peanut salaries but they still stayed
He broke their legs but they still danced to the tunes he played
Too ignorant to notice that a soul for fifty shillings is not a fair trade
They filled his Jacuzzi with their painful tears and sweat
They painted red roses on his walls with their blood
Just to show his gratitude he fed them rotten spud
They addressed him as Sir or even better, Master
Some of them were peasants. Even worse, beggars!
He laughed at the popping sounds of their blisters
They joined in with (we are used to this) laughter
They were stupid but good actors. They suffered!
Beggars’ status quo, beggars down on their dry knees
Beggars’ dictionary, defined him as the only help
And their favorite words were Sir, please!

-Edwin Onyango