The Wandering Jew

A dog licked my underfoot
And condemned me to stick not to a place:
Gathering withering bits of allure
Whilst elsewhere goodness thrives.

I shall not be held in debt
And stick around like a tethered cow
Elsewhere I shall go
after what fate and future hold.

I shall stick herein not and starve, comrade
Once ideals we thirsted for fade
I'll marry this extremists' faction
singing redemption songs anew...

Let hungry chiefs know
Their tongues shall forever not fool us
To stay around; waiting for funerals
We'll be gone on their coming!

(c) wafula p'khisa

I Too Shall Marry

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.

I too shall marry
because I disgraced not my uncle
To curse me die a bachelor
Neither did lust lure me fuck a donkey
and have my testicles smashed.

I can't stand gazes herein
On return from wandering afar
My tail dangling like a pendulum--
Farther from urgent duty
Folks tire waiting
Naming and continuity.

I too shall marry
because I disgraced not my uncle
To curse me die a bachelor
Neither did lust lure me fuck a donkey
and have my testicles smashed.

Who is that ululating?
Oh, Mulongo's betrothing another woman!
Bound by more rings
If rings deny men honour,
Let them
I'll stand not to be scorned
Who thinks wives are like sand?

I too shall marry
because I disgraced not my uncle
To curse me die a bachelor
Neither did lust lure me fuck a donkey
and have my testicles smashed.

I would not befriend a cockerel
To liven my simba with crows
I would not befriend a cockerel
To announce my departure one dawn
Since I have no woman.

(c) wafula p'khisa

Missing Dove

Whereto my dove flew
I can't tell...

I'd caged her in the nest beneath my breast--
Safe from prying predators
And gnawing cold winds...

I'd tamed her wild ways;
Ushered into fun-filled lovely haven
Wherein footsteps resonated with heartbeats...

And beneath the low skies
Wherein my eyes reign sharply
I could trace her--
Like a pin in chaff!

Closed doors have owners
Oh, what uncultured devil dared open mine?
Luring her with gold grains
In the season of dryness...

She dismantled the nest
cutting enjoining vessels thus
They bleed, forever bleed!

I wander in this wilderness,
Gaze at clear skies,
And scry, forever scry
But alas! Even scent's gone...

(c) wafula p'khisa

Rose of Desire

There is a place afar
Beyond our proximate horizons
Wherein exuberance lies in abundance;
And dreams receive warm welcome...

But wherein its heart lies
Is mystery unfathomable-- giving headaches
And nightmares to great magicians--
Miscarry divination...

At dawn I set forth
Seasons come and pass; darkening vision
Many a hand crooked:
Dupe, taunt and draw me
To scary dark beginnings--
Broken and bleeding...

Dusk comes fast;
Still can't rise and move
I am sick of engaging loneliness,
I am sick of fucking angels--
Coming and going, forever!

Would you come with me?
Hold me, and provide sight
At last lead me there
Perhaps I shall rest;
Biting my share of joy...

(c) wafula p'khisa

Songs of My People

Song of My People

Some people think we're dumb,
Because we spend lives sleeping, forever sleeping,
Our flock they invade, suck milk;
And invite hunger and engisa,
Our men they conscript,
Lure them with nothings:
To glorify, and their songs sing--
Under our roof!

Because we spend lives sleeping, forever sleeping:
To many a merchant we're traded--
Gunpower for coalition canons;
Merceneries to fight alien wars,
Used and dumped-- like tissue paper,
Whilst with us our men plead,
To harden hearts like termite in the soil!

Teachings of alien gods,
From sacred shrines drew us;
Wherein children of mulembe:
Gathered for libations--
Then emptied pots of busaa,
And brought down hills of ugali and chicken...

What befell our land, my people,
Has ruined us!
We've outlived Elijah's prophecy--
Leadership in the house of Mwambu,
Shall from lake Nam Lolwe come,
So ashore, we gaze, forever gaze,
The gourd to speak again?

Our brain we soak in ignorance,
Leave our roof falling,
To seek refuge in neighbours' bungalow-- forever!
And allow our hosts shield their wicked selves,
With our blesseth name:
Against the world's wrath--
More sinned against!

Aren't our balls big enough to fill palms,
Thus give us courage to speak our mind?

Those who think we're dumb,
Because we spend lives sleeping, forever sleeping,
Should confirm their sanity.
The rain has beaten us--
Washing our eyes clear;
The rain has beaten us--
Away carrying our fortune...

Soon our house shall re-organize,
Summon back its prodigals,
To Elijah, Wachie, Walumoli, Mwambu...
Slaughter sheep to appease,
Thus settle our internal feuds--
Buying back brotherhood...

We shall stand strong,
Like a boy facing the knife,
Confront Goliaths herein,
Thus claim our pie...

We are also children of this soil;
We are also children of Our Father!

(c) wafula p'khisa

Songs of Motherland

Songs of Motherland

I
The famished soil vomits
Last potato, lodged in its teeth
For youngsters behind left:
To breathe a little longer.

Trees were choked
At bay keeping rain thus;
Forever the sun reigns
Sending streams to silence-- premature...

Around the palm we gather
Salivating at ripe fruits above;
We lack genius to climb atop,
We lack tickets to fly atop,
We gather, salivating at ripe fruits above...

II
Vultures of hunger wrestle us--
Remnants of the house of Mwambu;
Muliro exited, abandoning us
Languishing on periphery of bondage...

Amidst a star rose
Witty and daring-- facing the knife
We endured hailstones
and brutal beating of rain,
Sure to find a shade;
But oh, Wamalwa dried!
Upon subsiding...
In mud abandoning us....

Lions are gone
Cubs disgrace nature:
Courting tigers...

III
Prodigals of our land
Lost in city alleys
and thighs of alien whores:
A long way I come
bearing a heavy load--
bitter message...

Our house is on fire
No water can quench!
Since toddlers looked at elders in the eye,
They found golden wisdom of no use
In the sad wake of civilization...

We are foolish grasshoppers
Arguing physically before smiling eagle,
What awaits us
Once we break limbs and necks?

Children from one womb don't quarrel
What then incites our tongues
To itch-- bitter?
Spitting venom
Whilst at the door, adversaries wait-- patient:
To wipe us out; away...

IV
Return home, brothers;
Mother is sick
and our house crumbling,
Our fortune's lost
What shall our children inherit?
What shall we tell them?
That we cowered to face the knife,
But fought others' battles?

We brace to endure
cold and mosquito bites;
But persistent knocks and mocks of strangers
give us no rest...

Fleas bite our hard buttocks;
Lice cause havoc to loins and backs--
Nightmares giving us thus.
Through leaking roof
At skies we gaze, searching for footprints
of stars, long gone...

Return home, brothers
Dreams are finishing children;
The gods are agitated,
So a white chicken and bull we need
Sacrifice to appease them...

And purify our name,
Obscenely sung by stinking mouths
and used by devils to commit evils;
and soiled by traitors...

V
The breast of this land
Is dry and indigent;
The breast of this land
Can't feed mouths herein...

Its cistern is shrunken--
Colostrum has to elsewhere been siphoned
By the long-handed, wide-mouthed and big-bellied--
Eaters of our fortune!

Silent are our mills
that for us vomited flour
and stole idleness, and boredom...
We've lived smuggling rights
to forge communion with those in the slaughterhouse
Hoping a piece they'd drop...

Our stores are empty
Yet our stomachs riot;
Nothing we've to lure worms with
To breathe a little longer...

Before drinkers of our sweat
return with hefty handouts;
Shedding crocodile tears
for ebbing rocks of their slings!

(c) wafula p'khisa
Thigh of an Elephant