The Silhouette

My mind is starving,
My heart is craving,
My thoughts freezing,
As I try to comprehend this beauty,
That leaves upon me pity.
This beauty that rivals the Monalisa in all her glory,
This beauty that caresses every part of my body.
Healing all my wounds and piecing all the fragments of my crushed heart.
I really can’t comprehend this beauty,
That sweeps me off my feet, down to my knees.
And makes me a beggar…Comprehend
Wakes me up every morning and soothes my every dream…Beautiful!
I can’t really comprehend this beauty.
That leaves your silhouette, on my sandy thoughts.
Dropping my jaws like the autumn leaves.
Brightening my   face like the summer skies
And freezing my thoughts like the winter snow.
Don’t wake me up from this slumber, if at all it’s a nightmare,
Don’t liberate me from this struggle, if at all am a prisoner,
Don’t cure me of this malady, even though contagious.
Because I want to feel this beauty
Live it and Hold it…
“In as much as your beauty leaves me breathless and speechless,
It also leaves me thoughtless and pulse less”

By Sam Dennis Otieno

A HAUNTED HOME

Peace, Love, Unity and Democracy…
Values we once upheld with pride and dignity
In our land and home…
Peace now turned to pieces,
Love now hatred,
Democracy now dictatorship.
Dreams of our forefathers
Now nightmares to our children
Our envy now our mockery.
You see,
I can’t seem to understand what went wrong,
My homeland now a wish
As to my neighbour I now seek refuge.
Sleepless and cold nights,
I can’t even look at his eyes as shame now rules my heart and wishes- its servant
The serenity of my home now sold to blood thirsty marauding uniformed gangs.
‘Service to all ‘now ‘service against all’
Weapons of defence, now of offence.
The symphony of our anthem now substituted with the ricocheting of guns,
I wonder what will sprout from the scattered shells.
As the remains of our fallen brothers feed these patient scavengers and their ghosts entertain the serpent.
I hope my grandson is not born in a neighbours’ land
Neither do I hope for his father to marry in it.
But as I hope for a ‘better’ tomorrow’
Out of this land, to where I can dream again in the warmth of my sheets,
And with pride, look into my sons’ eyes,
My allegiance shall forever be sworn to you
Engraved in my heart forever you shall be
With pride I will always proclaim you
Your statutes I shall forever uphold
With honesty I will serve you and your descendants
And with love I shall speak of you.
My Country, My pride.

(c) Sam Dennis Otieno