Why The Hawk Circles The Sky

Five years ago the people gyrated
Bright coloured laughter everywhere
The saviour had come, they said
Bodies twisted this way and that
Sweat stained faces at Uhuru Park
All preparing for the new birth

Prayers were said aloud with voices strong
Hurt exploded, dissipated in the air
As anger for a regime that ruled in fear
Was quelled
And the thirst for freedom was finally quenched

Little did we know that we were laying
With a hungry hyena
Dulled by smooth talk, lulled by words
That worked like a potent aphrodisiac
On the psyche of freedom-starved Kenyans,
We learnt to relax in sleep
We forgot to keep our eyes open

Salary increases of unimaginable percentages
Suddenly no one seemed to care about the workers’ wages
We cried out; respectfully, meekly
We even tried to cry out loudly,
But years of bondage had worn us down

Our feeble cries were consent for Anglo Leasing
White elephant tenders, overnight rags to riches
Everywhere one looked there was money missing
We tried to shout, but the snake rattlers came
And shut us down

Now we’re stuck in the den of snakes
And hooded gangsters
Where the devil quenches his thirst
On the potholed roads

Our silence is broken
By the cries of innocent women, men and children
Dying on the slopes of Mount Elgon

Their cries are silenced
By the machine-gun sound of roving helicopters
On the trail of voters
So the cycle can begin again
Hopes thwarted by another stillbirth

PoP @ 14 May 2007