Planting Season – painting by Shine Tani
I was commissioned to write this poem for the upcoming issue of Mĩciĩnĩ itũ- a Kikuyu quarterly publication. A translation of the same is available at the bottom.
Kĩmera Gĩa ũtongoria
Mĩaka ĩna rĩu nĩ mĩthiru ta gũbucia kwa riitho
Na ota o imera na meharĩria marĩo
O rĩngĩ
Kĩmera gĩa gũthuura atongoria kĩna ithuĩ
Kĩmera gĩa ũtongoria, reke tũhande thayũ
Mwaka wa ngiri igĩrĩ na mũgwanja
Bũrũri witũ wahanaga ta wa hitira
Twahũranire na kũũragana
Atĩ ni ũndũ tutirĩ a kabira ĩmwe
Tugĩũkanĩrĩra ta Kaini na Habiri
Hakuhĩ tũninane ithuĩ othe
Kĩmera gĩa ũtongoria, reke tũhande thayũ
Tũtikarore kĩhuti kĩ riitho rĩene
Moko maitũ onamo nĩmagwatirwo nĩ thahu
Thakame ya mũndũ ti ya mburi kana ndũrũme
Gũtire mũici na mũcũthĩrĩrĩa
Ithuothe tũtherie meciria na ngoro ciitũ
Kĩmera gĩa ũtongoria, reke tũhande thayũ
Kenya nĩ iitũ ti ya ateti
Gũtĩre wĩiganĩtie akahana gĩcigĩrĩra
Ithuothe nĩtũreda mũtũrĩre ũhũthe
Barabara njega na ũthii wa na mbere
Thĩna dũrĩ mĩri na dũthuraga rũthiomi
Reke thũ itũ ĩkorwo ĩ thĩna tu
Kĩmera gĩa ũtongoria, reke tũhande thayũ
Kamũingĩ koyaga dĩrĩ
Tuoyanĩre kũmenyerere bũrũri ũyũ witũ
O mũndũ na itemi rĩake
Tũhane ciĩga cia mwĩrĩ
O kĩĩga na hĩnya wakĩo
Tũtingĩtuĩka kĩongo ithuothe
Kĩmera gĩa ũtongoria, reke tũhande thayũ
© Njeri Wangari
All rights reserved
January 2012
njeriwangari(at)kenyanpoet(dot)com
The Leadership Season
4 years have passed like the blink of an eye
Like every season with it preparations,
The season to choose leaders is with us
The leadership season is here, let us plant peace
The year 2007
Our country seemed like Hitler’s haven
We fought and killed each other,
For owning tongues that spoke
The same words differently
Like Caine and Abel we become.
Devils must have observed with a grin
The leadership season is here, let us plant peace
Ignore the spec in his eye
Our hands all have blood on them
For the blood of a man
Is not the blood of goats
To soak the earth in vain
We all need cleansing
Of our minds and hearts
The leadership season is here, let us plant peace
We own Kenya, not the politicians
No one is an island
We all want better living
infrastructure and development
poverty is blind
it does not choose a tribe
let poverty be our only enemy
The leadership season is here, let us plant peace
Strength is in harmony
Like an army of ants
Together we can salvage our country
Let us all be parts of one body
We can’t all be the head
The leadership season is here, let us plant peace
© Njeri Wangari
All rights reserved
January 2012
njeriwangari(at)kenyanpoet(dot)com
Image courtesy of Shine Tani. His works can be found and purchased here