Kenyan Ramblings

• Second Wife

  Posted: May 23, 2008, 11:06 am by Tafsiri Hii

  It does not disturb me that you smoke, puffing in and out –

  Looking every bit the modern woman, without a doubt

  Or that you prefer potent brews to sweet soothing tea –

  And that you cannot fall asleep without having at least three.

  
  

  It does not bother me that your low husky laughter

  Gets into a man’s head and makes him totter

  Or that your bright smile

  Makes my husband’s loins stir

  
  

  It does not worry me that you sneer every time you hear my name

  Or that you declare me too docile and tame

  And that you laugh at my efforts to keep house

  And even jeer at my way of dress

  
  

  What really concerns me is my husband’s madness

  This craziness that has gotten into him since he met you

  This sickness that has made him take to heaping abuses

  On my head, and criticizing every thing that I do

  
  

  What gives me unease is my husband’s forgetfulness –

  It has slipped out of his mind that he is a father of two sons

  That growing boys have to eat, drink and sleep

  He does not remember that he has responsibilities

  
  

  What disturbs me,

  What really gets to me:

  Are your generous breasts

  That have been suckled dry

  And can no longer fight gravity

  
  

  What I do not understand is,

  Why my husband would choose to leave me,

  With my firm body and youthful energy,

  And make you,

  A woman ten years my senior,

  His second wife.

  – All rights reserved©
  

• Tribute to the body of an African Woman

  Posted: May 23, 2008, 10:52 am by Tafsiri Hii

  These thighs, I tell you

  Refuse to be forced into, squeezed into, crammed into small items of clothing,

  These big thighs.

  These free thighs,

  Have put many a man under a spell.

  These strong thighs,

  Have been a comfortable seat for children.

  
  

  You see these hips?

  These magnificent hips,

  That move to a beat and rhythm of their own?

  These wide hips,

  Have stopped many in their tracks,

  These child-bearing hips.

  
  

  These slim hands,

  Am telling you,

  Have carried heavy loads for long distances,

  These soft hands,

  Have prepared tasty meals for hundreds,

  Held many close and offered great comfort,

  These seemingly small hands.

  
  

  These breasts, I tell you

  These round breasts,

  Will not be hidden or ignored

  These firm breasts

  Have no shame in them

  These breasts,

  Have been the source of nutrition and the cause of confusion

  These proud breasts.

  – All rights reserved©
  

• Tribute to the African Man

  Posted: May 23, 2008, 10:48 am by Tafsiri Hii

  What you are,

  Is sturdy; strong like the mugumo tree in my backyard

  And like that tree, you are firmly rooted in the ground

  A native of the African soil

  
  

  What you are,

  Is a warrior; fighting battles and coming out unscathed

  And like that soldier, you should be recognized,

  Valued and nurtured

  
  

  What you are,

  Is a king; deserving to be treated like royalty

  And like that king, you are regal and wise

  Your actions are just

  
  

  What I would like to do,

  Is to sit back for a minute or so,

  And take in the very essence,

  Of you

  
  

  What I would like to do,

  Is let my eyes feast on every inch of your silky skin

  Admire that beautiful spot, where pelvis meets thigh

  And celebrate your very blackness

  
  

  What I would like to do,

  Is to let my fingers worship your muscular body

  From the tip of your blackened toe to the top of your dreadlocked head

  Soft and slow, now

  – All rights reserved©
  

Blah blah blah

Fish cakes

Alas a fish cake.

Yet more fish cakes

Guess what ... yeah ... fish cakes.

The end of the fish cakes