Born in 1927
near a hippopotamus infested river
In the land of the Abakisa
A Samia mingling with the Abakisa
Sharing land,beliefs and practices.
Waking up every morning to greet the sun
She rises together with the sun
The sun is her father
Always showing up very morning
Or sending light to the earth when he can’t show up
With his warmth and rays
African bodies get their energy from the sun
She basks in its radiance
And enjoys it’s beautiful rays as it hits green guava leaves in the homestead.
A cock crows
Birds are chirping
It is a beautiful bright morning
The sun gives her strength to plant
Warms her body
She puts her fire wood out to dry
Escorts her cattle out of the kitchen
Lets the chicken out
Her homestead is full of sweet potatoes,arrow roots,cowpeas,beansmaize plantation,Irish potatoes,tomatoes,millet and sorghum
Evidence that she works hard
She pounds millet and sorghum inorder to prepare her delicacy
Obusuma is her favourite meal
Her formal education was up to sector 3
Got baptized in the Anglican Church of Kenya
Became a Lay reader in church
The white man’s religion she began to follow
But her African divine nature still deep routed.
Preparing herbs for her children
To soothe their running stomachs
Or the cuts in their skin
Flu is gone
within 30 minutes of steaming face with herb water
The world war 2 is here
Husband is recruited for war
Not yet Uhuru in this African land
Off to the King’s African Rifles centre in Nairobi he goes
To protect his British coloniser
This war isn’t his to fight
But master needs people to fight
He makes this war his too
Years later he goes to the underworld
To be with ancestors and protect the lineage from another realm
He shall be reincarnated later
With her he leaves three sons
Alone for her to take care off
Feeling vulnerable and heartbroken
Seven planting seasons gone
Brother of her late husbanddecides to inherit her
She is again protected
She bears him 3 kids
He is a revered and respected man in the land
Nicknamed Delamere because of his big farm in Elukanji
And is the first person to own an oxen plough in the land
Along with his skill in Agriculture
He was among the first natives to train in Agriculture at the Bukura Agricultural centre
He began to plant hybrid maize
She continues to serve in church and take care of her children
She is now the third wife of his late husband’s brother
The new position comes with challenges of its own
Her determination,hard work and discipline enables her raise her 5 sons and daughter
All since her youthful days she suffered stomach aches
No one really knows what exactly ails her
But her passion for her God and hard work keep her going
Inherited husband leaves to the land yonder too
Leaving her with more burden to bear
6 children to take care of
Dad is one of them
He learns of his father’s death while in college
He doesn’t remember what ailed him
All he remembers is how healthy and strong he was
After all, he was the man that owned an oxen plough.
Many moons later
She leaves the land of the living
She had made 83 trips around the sun
With her ancestors,she is reunited
Her body is gone
But her spirit leaves on
Her energy, DNA, thoughts and words still fill up the air
Her blood line still lives on
Her lineage still lives on
Her name is carried to the next generation
She lied peacefully on her death bed
Her burial ceremony was more like a wedding ceremony
Full of white nets, daughter’s in laws,grand children and great grand children
All escorting her to the stars
Dancing to Anglican rythms
Rthyms she once led
she is now looking down upon us
She was a child of the sun
She brought sunshine wherever she went
Lit up the world with her presence
And left her footprints in this world
Like sunrise she lit up the world
And like sun set, she left the world
Paving way for darkness that engulfed her loved ones hearts.
With every sunrise, her spirit lives on.
It lives in me
And my sisters
I am her grandchild
A child of the sun.
©Marion Malika
This poem is in memory of my late paternal grandmother, Melsa Anyanzwa. May your soul continue resting in peace.
Watch over us and open ways for us.
Malika's World 