the mud the ruts the rust the dust the
peaceful raucous the busy kiosk corner
to corner the overcast
mornings the roadside colors
cloths plants makaa markets pots
the long 6 o’clock walk homes
shoes polished to perfect the smoke
the smog the mauve nocturnal shawl of
lovers drunkards addicts the mountains
of plastic layered on backs and the trailing packs of
the saviours of stray dogs the scanty
monkeys marabous parrots and the
unapologetic more than the lack of
the tink the laughter of things falling apart now
put back together remastered
the side by side stack on stack of mabati
the eyes the mouths the smiles looking up
from the slums seen from the satellites
the evening faces alive in the flames
of slow burning paraffin lamps
the living in the eternal hope of
the closeness the contact of
one or a thousand brushed souls
the calls of churches mosques beggars peddlers
the short rains the long ones the gutters
clumped in last night’s outpours of wings
the clogged up roads of unrelenting
matatus makangas bodas sculptures canvases carwashes
puddles potholes flooded bits and bobs of lives and homes
the artful porters of mkekokotenis the ‘honey suckers’ bottlenecks
and thorny roadblocks the inventive cops the justice
of the thronging mobs the ingenuity
of scrap-work animals playgrounds sounds
recycled rattling toy wheels bicycles trains
the hard work of the hot sun and the simple
incomparable joy of the act the bewilderment
the sheng the slang the language that shifts
adapts and gathers new meanings in minutes
the vendors of flowers sugar cane maindi
the recorded loop of the lady making soap rat poison
the sellers of everythingunderthesun who put-down
and-pack up inaninstant and yes Binyavanga, I will mention
the weekend-long drums spilling rhythms into weeks months
dreams distances children beating beginning back
into existence
the swaying the clasping the clapping of hands
the weaves of last week scattered delicate on the streets
the carefree the make believes
the purpling sea of seasonal jacarandas and the pink ocean of bombax
the trees pasted with posters of politicians astrologers mugangas
magicians crafting all sorts of advice curses potions
the malayas massage parlours the cheating husbands
the bittersweet chewers of miraa mugoka spit
mixed with njugus P.K. and the once notorious big G
the sewers of pride theft corruption the not so
sly shadows of greed deceit abandon covered up
in the name of god the loss of what was
the boisterous dawn and the continuing on
despite the despites a rekindling in the noise
the voices the toils the resiliencies of body
the life of
the poem without pause the impossible
song of Nairobi
