Poetry Platform
People - by Muchira Gachenge
The days and nights
Of fears and tears came
When everyone decried
Tough economic times
And tough political times
And tough social times
The days when
Industries closed down
Office doors were locked
HAKUNA KAZI notices
Were pinned over
JOB VACANCIES signs
In those days
People starved
People walked naked
And when people protested
People were gunned down
Soon thereafter breathing loudly
Became a treasonable offence
When Fear blinded each
To all but his need
And people settled for silence
Over speaking out
Against injustice
Everyone languished
Floundering amidst
Terrifying thoughts
Of uncertain futures
In those dark days
When no one cared for another
People stopped being people
© 2019 Muchira Gachenge. All rights reserved. Reproduction or transmission of this work in any part or form is strictly prohibited without the author’s prior written consent.
About the author
Muchira Gachenge is a writer from Kenya. He has been a three-time Editor in Chief of Moi University Press Club. The largest students’ publishing house at Moi University, Kenya. His short stories have appeared in East African Magazine. He has published numerous literary commentaries on Saturday Nation Newspaper, a publication of Nation Media Group in Kenya. His essays have also appeared on independent literary websites. He has experience in radio production and show hosting, having hosted “The Discourse Literary Show” for two years on Moi University Radio.
His poems which have received great acclaim, have been pencilled in for publication in a forthcoming anthology. He studied English and Literature at Moi University, and has been teaching since 2015. When he is free, he likes to design ways by which to impact the world positively. He has a keen interest in Gikuyu Popular Culture and has a number of published literary works to his name. Writing is an avenue through which he expresses himself, his background, culture and imagination.
African Global Networks (AGN) – Jsnuary 2020