I Too Shall Marry

By Pius Khisa.

Once they spot me
All my bakoki disappear
Like dew in the morning sun
Pledging to see their halves
Or take children on rounds
Leaving me desperate.

Redemption Afar

By Pius Khisa.

Those who sent their men to war
Still wait, forever wait
Their return at full moon.
Those whose men returned long ago
Still wait, forever wait
To be issued their fortune.

Water the Tahrir Square*

By Karani Kelvin.

Child,

Do not bother yourself

With those eating beyond their fill

Let them return to the queue for more

Like ill-mannered high school students

No Sex, For Fish

(Song of a female fishmonger)

By Oyoo Mboya.

Odongo --
Wuod jochula -

Son of the island,
My grandson's friend ...
For decades I've sojourned,
Bare feet,
On the dewy paths
That lead to the sandy shores,
Of Nam Lolwe -
The waters with no end.

The Road to Siaya

By Abraham O’Obunga.

By 3:45pm, I was rushing towards the bus stop; my black pair of shoes in my right hand and a rucksack on my back with my feet as white as wood ash from the village. My pair of long trousers were folded to the knee. When I reached the bus stop, there were hordes of students; one would think it was a political rally. Every student wanted at least a vehicle whether PSV or a Taxi; so long as it would take them away from the University. I started trekking towards the gate when I saw two anti-riot police land rovers approaching from the University main gate. A few other students followed me. Outside the gate, a matatu that was coming into the University made a U-turn and halted by our side. We rushed for the door. A 7-seater matatu yet we were more than 10. It was in the evening, and there was a traffic jam on the way to town.

I Will Wait

By Oyoo Mboya.

Elders
Guardians of the sagacious gates
Here, they bring me
Before your council
My cardinal crime
Is abusing time--
Yes!

Its five already

By Karani Kelvin.

Shit,
Its five o’clock already!
Gotta get up and run
Put on my cheap suit
Fake silky tie, fake Ethiopian leather shoes
And cheap Somali cologne
(Thank you Eastleigh!)

The bangs*

By Karani Kelvin.

When bangs

Rendered legs around you

Lifeless

Unable to support bodies

They had carried for so long

How did you feel?

Did you look

Straight into the eye

Of the gun and terrorist

When your turn came?

Did you hear the bang

That blew off your head?

I Always Think About You

By Pius Khisa.

I always think about you
Whenever I fail to tame tears
Flowing and overflowing like Nile waters--
Siphoning strength from a bereft soul
And chasing sleep at midnight;
Leaving me restless like an insomniac...

I Shall Leave

By  Pius Khisa.

When, out of exhaustion
To set hurries the sun;
I will be on toes
To respond to call of time.

Welcome to the Writers Cooperative Blog

By Prof. T. Michael Mboya 

The Writers Cooperative is a collective of writers and aspiring writers who at one time or another were students at Moi University, Kenya. The core activity of the Cooperative is the bettering of the work of the writers and aspiring writers. The work can be in any genre of Literature. The writers and aspiring writers share their work among themselves. The shared work is then critically commented on in the meetings of the collective. Through the comments the author is made aware of the (possible) takes on aspects of his or her work by different readers, who are themselves writers or aspiring writers. What the author does with the proffered comments is his or her choice and responsibility. The understanding that guides the core activity of the Cooperative is that work shared in the Cooperative’s meetings is Work in Progress, and as such it can be edited, corrected, tweaked, revised or even overhauled.