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.
For decades --
I've known no husband,
Widowed at twenty two,
The prime of my womanhood,
Life served me a blend of lemons,
And ginger.
I made lemonade -
In the bitterness of my pain,
I raised Owiti --
The abandoned one,
My only son.
Selling fish at the market -
Big fish, small fish,
Fresh fish, fleshy fish,
Smokes fish, fried fish
Bony fish, stale fish -
Selling fish by the roadside!
Odongo --
Grandson of great sailors,
On the night you were birthed,
I --
I Akech Nyar Uyoma,
Sold the biggest fish to your mother,
News filled the village,
Ululations broke the silence of the night,
That your mother -
Delivered twins,
After a meal of Nyar Uyoma's fish -
Today --
Your chest has bulged,
And your loins haired.
Today --
Your voice croaks,
And your face pimpled.
Today --
You found school so strict,
So you dropped out,
Found solace sailing through,
The vast waters of eternity,
These waters your grandfather's waded,
And died --
Slowly,
My grandson --
Go slow.
The fish that killed my husband,
Still swims in the rivers of my vein --
I --
A fishmonger
You --
A fisherman.
Oyoo Mboya is a poet from Eldoret. follow him on Facebook for more.
