Courage and Humility

Humility isn’t weakness, Courage isn’t isn’t defiance. Just blend humility with courage and watch yourself rise to realms unfathomed by common men~George Agak

Janarobi Is Home

It all began here. Good intentions spelt in creased faces, friendship bred in warmth of smiles and brotherhood submerged in wine glasses like ice pellets. Odhis jararobi was home. As the custom is, janarobi had to ‘untie youths’, so he got them together and kanyaseme they went. These days kanyaseme is the most popular of all the breweries. Other breweries had had their share of darkness and were ditched. Each brewery had its own way to collapse but kanyalego brewery’s collapse is the most memorable. It was said that she used bilo, charm to siphon customers from other brewers and all this came to light when Bonke discovered that Nyalego used a dead man’s arm to stir he brew instead of cooking stick. That discovery tainted the image of kanyalego breweries, consequentially customers ditched followed by investors who couldn’t invest in a crumbling pillar.

They sat down on benches at the feet of Nyaseme’s hut. After he got filled on what was happening in the village; who had died of AIDS, who had divorced, who had married and who was remarrying it was his turn to tell them how Nairobi was fairing.

“Nairobi is going how?” asked Omengo as he straightened his arm for the bottle.

“Nairobi is going well” the answer came before he filled his glass.

The conversation took a different twist when Alanyo interjected;

“I hear ohuru is really castrating you Nairobians, you pay for water, rent, light. He paused, and then with emphasis, is it true you pay to piss?”

“Yes, Bwana there life is hard. Everything is money. We pay to eat, we pay to piss and if the constitution is abolished then we shall have to pay to breath”. Odhis answered as the rest jerked in laughter.

“Where is Lucinda these days?” he asked

“Lucinda went to Uyoma, he got pregnant, I hear she sells fish at Aram Market”, Oduno answered between muffled giggles.

As the rest laughed, Odhis just spat on the ground and in a raspy voice, “suits her, I wanted her but she refused. She told me she was studying to go to the university. I didn’t know it was university of Lake Victoria”.

Omengo who had been quite spoke. He stuttered. If bits of his words were to be joined, he would have insisted that janarobi had to leave his timberland boots, his hat and his shirt for him. He was completely floored by the brew; he was now blabbering and dominating conversations. Soon all of them followed suit and their conversations turned to choruses and insults.

It was well past midnight when Nyaseme threw them out of the compound. Everyone staggered home, or where he thought home was. Odhis woke up at about 5:30 am in a ditch. He had no shoes on, his bones ached and a terrible migraine was shutting him down. And he leant that not everything distilled is water and chang’aa isn’t just any other distillate.

Slum Film Festival Team

The 5th slum film festival didn’t only bring professionals across the border but also got spiced with very beautiful women. This class had it all .

A Friend of Speed || Spoken Word Video

Greedy Bastards

I trust people, but I trust my pen more
For nobody sticks when palatable turns sour
It’s only my pen that drips in sorrow
A friend I can count on for tomorrow

These smiling faces
Are just painted vases
Homing dead roses
Bro, BFF but they depart
When your world is torn apart

I’ve got your back so they say
But they laugh when life strips it bare
Their talks barricades your every way
As they hide beneath ‘because we care’

You walk barefoot in bonfires they’ve lit
They backbite of your wounded smelly feet
With empty goodbyes they leave
To tell of how stuck you’re in deep shit

They’ll have you for their convenience
Your naivety, their greed; a perfect blend
Selfies, for what? Reminiscence?
When all they did is watch as you bled!

A friend of speed (REMIX)

A friend indeed is a friend of speed

Someone who gives a shoulder when you’re weak

He avails whatever in his reach whenever you seek

Someone who chose to be with you despite your inequities

And when you are at the verge of giving up he reminds you of your abilities

A Friend who will not sit back and watch you take poison

But will help you potentiate the concoction

And take it with you when suicide becomes the only option

Someone who will turn her long skirt into micro mini and give you the extra piece to patch your torn pants

Someone who interrupts your sleep just to say goodnight

Someone who will talk to you all night when you’re sick of insomnia

Someone who will reduce himself to a hankie when tears flow

Someone you can tell “let’s go to hell” and all he asks is “when?”

 *************************

It’s quite a shame you never met any of the above criteria

I never knew you, but I opted to help

When you had nothing, mired in shame

Put a roof over you and before you a plate

You trashed my art and called it pursuit of cheap fame

**************************************

And I gave you time hoping our friendship would blossom

But instead you became a deeply rooted weed harbored in the depths of my heart choking every illustrious sprouts of goodness I had been sprinkling for years

And now a mention of your name just makes me wanna throw up

For the rust you left on the walls of my heart has culminated into something different, I spend every day of my life scrubbing these walls and what’s more every particle of rust pitted crawls along with tiny peelings of trust and generosity I’ve got left…so how can I ever trust again

*******************************

As the sun rises from the east

so will your troubles never cease

I thought I was your cure but you saw me as the disease

Never expected thanks but those words shouldn’t have escaped your lips

I read about it but you made me feel the pain of Judas’ Kiss

************************************

Just like fingers differ in length

So do we differ in strength

Even an elastic band can only stretch to a limit

No matter what I did in your world I couldn’t fit in

***********************************

You came in as a victim of worldly torture

Enslaved in sort of mental stupor

I gave you a home

And shoes to cover your feet

Then you served me a taste of Judas’ kiss

Copyright ©George Agak 2014

The Mark of Seal You Leave Therein

The biggest problem isn’t finding the path to my heart but rather the mark of seal you leave therein

I hate Goodbyes

If you’ve got to leave, just go. Don’t tell me ‘Good Bye’

For there is nothing good about missing you

Learning Everyday

When I joined, I knew nothing on WordPress

Just simple thoughts to express

 

But each day I grow

With every blogger I know

 

Knew not to customize a theme

But now, Just check my Twenty Fourteen

 

Knew not how to use the widgets

But managed with all shared nuggets

 

So to fellow bloggers, I open my hands

to receive all that this amateur lacks

 

For I learn everyday

From great friends who never ask for pay

Judas’ Kiss

I never knew you, but I opted to help
When you had nothing, mired in shame
Put a roof over you and before you a plate
You trashed my art and called it pursuit of cheap fame

As the sun rises from the east
so will your troubles never cease
I thought I was your cure but you saw me as the disease
Never expected thanks but those words shouldn’t have escaped your lips
I read about it but you made feel the pain of Judas’ Kiss

Just like fingers differ in length
So do we differ in strength
Even an elastic band can only stretch to a limit
No matter what I did in your world I couldn’t fit in

You came in as a victim of worldly torture
Enslaved in sort of mental stupor
I gave you a home
And shoes to cover your feet
Then you served me a taste of judas’ kiss