Sorry Son

Tracing The Roots: A Madness Anthology

#014

The little thingira is leaking,
El nino is a cruel attacker,
Had Gatwara not repaired it?
The lilies of Munju River are losing their undisputed glory,
Or is it an orchestrated move to have the boy's dreams doomed?

The rooftops are leaking,
Like an old cat cry in a smoky kitchen,
The sisal mattress is stinking,
Yet Gatwara is miles away,
In pursuit of bride price,
An his old mother can do nothing...

Lodging is here,
And his crop only in the sloppy region,
Has teamed to block water flow,
Gatwara's wedding dinner is doomed...

The fresh mud on his walls,
Walls of secrecy and security in the hut,
Have reversed elevation,
And the demand to join soil status is on rise,
The gaps are plenty,
El nino making rat highways to the lad's meagre grains...

Son of a woman,
Fate is on your side,
No hut,no food,
Will you marry her?
Will the elders here hear you?

#Nomys_Madness

She Can't Leave

Tracing The Roots: A Madness Anthology

#013


It's three years,
Our son is twenty four moons,
And the shock in your face,
Tells it all silently,
Unfortunately, she can't leave.

We met in style,
Dated for two years,
Fought and agreed amicably,
And resolved to stick together,
We can't just separate on your whims...

It's okay to hear from you,
But that resolution is insoluble!

So,was it my mistake that uncle strayed?
Was it her blunder that her mother passed young?
We have the same blood,
We have the same bond,
We can't separate!

Conduct all the practices,
Awash and spill tatha on us,
Cleanse using all possible means,
But deeply bury separation thoughts...

It can't be termed incestuous,
Our ignorance is your fault,
Oh, my extended family,
You should have shared earlier,
Too late, not much can be done.

#Nomys_Madness

Trashing...

Tracing The Roots: A Madness Anthology
#008

Sampling business,
Light and dark,
Caked and natural,
Fake versus real,
Big quarters and small,
Campus lasses...

Heightened arguments,
Who outshines the other,
Which version is updated?
A better cook or a better dancer?
Skimpy or conservative?
Potential wives,
Rich theses topics!!!

But,
Time to explore elsewhere,
And trash,crash the memories...

Calm?

Tracing The Roots: A Madness Anthology

#006

A windless night,
Owls so scared to hoot,
Crickets silenced by cold,
Smoke billows uptight,
Contrasting the dullness...

After the crazy downpour,
Clearing the slopes,
Lodging the entire harvest,
A curse in disguise...

Door to door fury,
Demands,threats, injuries,
In the name of loyalty,
Worse than hell,
Tears and blood flood,
All under the guise of purity of OUR roots...

Deeply thoughtful,
How many will be vulnerable,
Of the archaic practises,
And the authorities claim calmness as they watch us die...

Tell Your Dear Brother

Tracing The Roots: A Madness Anthology

#005

A caring uncle,
Determined to see order,
Diligent on fault finding,
Hardy,hardly hardworking!

Njore he who reigns and commands,
Njore who loves his brother's household,
He,the custodian of lineage,
He, the second to none boss..

Daddy's departure dawned unexpectedly,
A demise so painful,
Overheard it was the neck disease,
That made his body expire prematurely,
And Njore, the caring uncle took it to watch us grow.

Generosity a good virtue,
Mama, I'll make it up to all,
Especially to the family and uncle Njore,
I'll take away from you nothing,
But an only reminder,
Yours, uncle is to advise, suggest and weighing situations,
However, I'll make ALL decisions,
I'll take full responsibility of my stupidity,
I'm good to navigate my yacht,
To the seas and world yonder,
Alone, independently.

Corruption: Who Will Save Us?

By Gichimu Njeri.

Imagine that moment,you'll late from job or class. It's raining,dark crawls changing to sprints. No cars. No buses. Sleeping stage. Then a fourteen seater appears. Two seats only,and five travelers rushing for alight. Nice conductor,a sensible human who understands and saves all . A mile away, an officer threatens to take you to face the wrath of the law. You negotiate,get him tea and home you go. Corrupt or needy?

A serious problem in a country where chai is the order of the day,needs super attention. Institutions compromised,directions charged and political zones taken as choma zones,it's indeed a rotten generation.

It is interesting to note that side pay is superior to the main job. Think of a traffic operator at a certain route in Molo who pockets Ksh 50 or 100 per psv and much more to trucks. A cabinet secretary allegedly hikes price of acquiring a piece of land for the government, embezzling funds. A governor dares to explain why wheel barrow costs more than shillings one hundred thousand, in the name of public service!

Executive tough talk about the menace is plausible. The move to suspend alleged corrupt cabinet secretaries is yard towards the right direction. Giving their positions to new breed is even better,but does it solve the problem?

Has it ever occurred to anyone that executive bold steps on corruption are made few days to a prominent person's visit? Yes what happened when POTUS graced the land? What of the pontiff's tour a fortnight ago?
Maybe it's mere coincidence. Maybe strategic arrangement.

The menace is incorporated deeply into our system,like a malignant disease,needs expert attention. It's part of our culture,bad yet almost indispensable.Our kids are endangered,they need salvation. Who is their Messiah?

Fighting corruption is hard,but not impossible. It's all about mentality change. Character check,system review and tough measures to the greedy species. What if we embrace a philosophy,so simple yet deeply incorporated into our system? Remember the Nyayo philosophy,till these days it clicks in our minds. Such are possible moves to curb and cure the demonic venture.

Health Check Up:For Rich Only?

By Gichimu Simon Njeri

A heated debate in our cubicle in campus the other day nearly made us fight. Why should one go for medical checkups yet they're not sick? Why should a healthy person waste time visiting doctors who are even few to attend the sick?

Fear,ignorance and simple brushing off the idea emerged as the key reasons. However before we could cool down,the story of a former aspirant in Secretary General docket got a shocking diagnosis. Cancer of the throat victim!

Sobriety resumed, what's the right time to get medical checkups? Why are the essential? To what extent should one go?

Without a medical background, it was interesting to note that people under an invasion of one of their own could reason. In a unanimous agreement,checkups are necessary.

Three or four times a year for a body's checkup was a deal The Why was agreed to be, a human body is not like a machine,it requires special attention. The attention ranging from good eating habits to the core subject, checkups.

Emergencies and shocking outcomes were to be curbed by prior information about one's body. Information been power,it is only through the feared,ignored step.

The next week every one booked an appointment at the referral, just to be safe.

Allegations that it's for the rich got proved wrong,only a few shillings and one gets to guard the future.

GRADUATE BUT...

By Gichimu Njeri

Congratulations! You've made it at last. It has been long,1998 in class one? Yeah,a long journey indeed. You've fought a tough battle. You deserve victory.Tomorrow,power to do all that pertains to your course will be given and success in your endeavours is the wish.A question follows, is the education given worth the input? Are our graduates armed to face the world?Methods used are they the best?

One step at a time,the content of the education system especially in the tertiary level is wow,related to the course,with specific objectives and expected outcomes. This is brilliant,but are the courses time-conscious? Are the references given available? Lastly are the lecturers well equipped with the skills and in touch with the outside world that absorbs the trainees?

The above leads to a dissatisfaction mentality that tamper with the learners. Among other blunders,cheating is bred( also associated with laxity among students,unwanted courses and grade unlike skill gain notion) killing the taught honest and ethical virtues championed throughout tg system.

Half-baked is the term that follows. How would you explain good grades and zero skills? It's unfortunate to have a communication graduate who struggles to express himself/herself both orally and written yet the transcript is glowing.

A believe that our graduates are free of the shortcomings is malignant to our thoughts. Wishing you the best is all we have,however,you're responsible for what you did.

Celebrate. Enjoy your speeches and family. Succeed!

The writer is an outgoing news editor.

Campus Relationships:Money,Brain and Services

 By Gichimu Njeri

Excitement. Is the word that one dreams of on getting a scholar to date. Who hates a brilliant one for a wife or husband? Wait,so in the most moves,beginners dream of unending relationships. Lifetime! Unfortunately, it's not necessarily the case. A survey reveals a series of reasons cited for campus pairings.

James, a finalist in School of Business says that what he needed in any relationship was cost sharing.
" We have meagre allowances as students. Getting a patner doubles the share hence easy management." Confims James who also cites cuddling and spending the weekends together as other privileges. He laughs on any future banking on any relationship.

Jenison* a first year student pursuing Sociology is quick learner and embraces the system's mannerisms.

"Any guy who approaches me on matters relationship has a special attention on a given feature in me. The same principle is applied for my acceptance. He must satisfy my financial needs.It's that simple."

Shockingly, a good number of boys have an offer interest of financial boost in relationships.

" They rely on our efforts to secure them,listen to their unending whines, satiate their various desires to name but a few. All these requires motivation; money. "Says Jorge a second year student pursuing Statistics.

Winnie who studies psychology argues that for a relationship to exist,it must have a common interest for both parties. She says that humans been social beings,they need attention and company in their various activities. She affirms a common cliche, no man is an island.

In a rare unfolding, Yvonne says that she dates senior students within her course or extremely brilliant classmates whose input is simple, academics.

" I take no chances with my studies. One must be a course mate with the best knowledge I need. It's okay for us to be complementing information and learn from each other. No books, no relationship."

Yvonne's thoughts are echoed by four more students; three ladies and a gentleman.

Rarely,cases of marriage occur and happy ever after is heard. It requires special commitment and truthfulness.

Miriam* who studies Special Needs Education says that her boyfriend has been great and since they're finalising, marriage is inevitable.

" Faithful men are not easily found in this generation. I'm so lucky to have met him."

Among other people, the entire discussion on affairs to do with relationships. Having lost trust,made mothers and totally ignored by the irresponsible fathers.

Calen* warns first years to be cautious lest one fails on the traps of unplanned pregnancies that have far reaching consequences.

The conclusion of the interviews resonates with the title of the piece,relationships,are either based on money,needs or services offered. It's about what one gains. Love is hard to find.

SHE CAN'T COOK

Tracing The Roots: A Madness Anthology.


#004


SHE CAN'T COOK,DADDY.


To respect you is inevitable,
I'm a firstborn,a pacesetter,
The bearer of the royal stool,
And mentor to the juniors,
But father, this one, I detest obeying you...


Her ancestry is strong,
In character and exceptional beauty,
Every young man craves for her,
And they think I'm lucky to have her for a wife,
She's intelligent,
A daughter of books,
An expert in brilliance,a lover with glimmering eyes,
But father, I won't marry her...


She sways her waist, in the most provocative way,
Her voice makes the hummingbird belittled and envious,
What of her poetry?
She's the epitome of happiness and rhymes...
Yet, I wouldn't marry her..


She,
The daughter of Guthu,
She has no idea of making food,
She can't cook even a cup of boiled water...
Nyakairo the light skinned,
She knows nothing,
Nothing in household duties,
She can't even make a bed!


Daddy,
If I have to marry her,
Send her to her mother,
Let her get the skills,
Two years of maximum attention,
Maybe, I'll marry her then...

REBELLIOUS AUNTIE

Tracing The Roots: A Madness Anthology

#003

REBELLIOUS AUNTIE

Wanjira,
She who lives on the hill,
The daughter of grandpa,
Single at forty, a maiden with broad mind...


She saw no school door,
Yet philosophic than professors,
Glued to the radio,
She's aware of current affairs,
Analytical on political trends,
Shrewd, her house is flocked for guidance.


My cousin-less auntie,
A darling of the society,
Aggressive on her duties,
Farming,grazing and cooking,
Who hates her ndumas na ikwa?
Is her curu wa mukio not the best?
Wait, is she not chief chef in all traditional parties where real cuisine is needed?


Tonight I'm her guest,
Her firstborn she terms me,
Always ready for my curious brain,
Anxiety,she's certain I miss her counsel...
She brushes off the olden practises,
She laughs at grandpa's bitterness,
How she sieves modernity and archaic teachings,
How she marries the two,expertly...


My term paper and curiosity overfed,
I enjoy the embers and smoke,
Golden sparks dart from the three stone stove,
How she empowers my deviance with sense,
"What's the harm sharing my kariko?"


Wanjira my dear aunt,
If only she had kids,
Luckily,she massages my knowledge thirst,
For she is a mother of reality...