By T. Michael Mboya
Here comes the man
your mother in Uriya[1]
warned you against
in tale, song and proverb
that kept alive
the fire in the hearth.
Here he comes
Croesus Casanova
destroyer of the reputations
of young women
and their families.
You feel in your bones
the deep growl
of his car
as it isolates you
from other eager young women.
He hops out and is
trapped
by the LED brightness
of your eyes and smile.
And now, scattered
between you and him
are words, maize grains
that both of you cluck
towards.
What do we tell
your mother
in distant Uriya?
Do we tell her
there are different types
of tale, song and proverb
out here
in this Nairobi?
[1]
Uriya. A village in Siaya County, Kenya.
@TomMichaelMboya
