MIN PAYIRA

MIN PAYIRA

Min Payira,

Do I know you?

I do. Yes I do.

I do know Payira, Apiyo and Olara

They were not molded from mud

Born they were.

Born like Ocheng and Otema.

We were born

By Min Payira

Who do you resemble?

I am afraid I don’t know

My own mother

I can’t reconstruct your face

How do you speak?

Again I’m afraid I don’t know

My own mother

I can’t remember your voice

Did you ever kiss my forehead?

Like I kiss your grandchildren?

Oh no!

My own mother!

That too I don’t remember

Min Payira.

The touch on my cheeks.

Was your palm soft?

Was it rough?

My own mother I don’t know.

I know nothing at all.

The pain,

The pain of not remembering your voice,

The pain of not remembering your face,

The pain of not remembering your Kiss,

The pain of not remembering your touch,

The pain of not remembering anything,

Anything about you,

I weep,

I sink,

I die.

Outside I smile,

I play,

I joke,

Inside I die.

Painfully I die

Several deaths

Min Payira.

Min Payira

Other than Bonny M

Would you have nicked named me

Kanda Bongo man,

Tonny Blair,

Christopher Hitchen,

Or like my uncles,

Your brothers,

Ocheng’s brothers

For my oversized earl lobes

Would you have called me Kapereke?

How will I know

Min Payira?

Di you love me?

Did you love us?

How much Min Payira?

Did you care about me?

Did you care about us?

Did you Min Payira?

Too late,

Too late you can’t answer me.

You can’t respond to my questions

Min Payira.

You are gone

You have been gone for thirty years now

Thirty years

Min Payira.

Min Payira

I am independent

Apiyo is independent

Olara is independent

But Min Payira,

What would be your experience

With us

When we are heart broken?

Would you cry with us?

Call the Ladies,

Gentlemen

And ask them to reconsider

Reconsider their decisions before

They make mistakes?

Would you tell them

Like Rema to Kenzo

Your children

Are not Mangoes?

Min Payira

Would you have told us to

Shop the crap out and date another woman

Another man

Min Payira?

I can only wish you were here

Min Payira.

I still don’t know

What you would have done

Min Payira.

Min Payira

I miss you

I never knew you

I never got the chance

You never gave us the chance

Would you have been

A monster in our lives

Min Payira?

Would you have been an Angle

Min Payira?

What would you have been

In our lives

Min Payira?

A mother?

Or Just a Mother

Min Payira?

Would you have believed in me,

Like a loving mother?

Would you have believed in Apiyo,

Like a businesswoman?

Would you have believed in Olara,

Like a friend

Min Payira?

Would you have supported me

Like a teacher?

Would you have supported Apiyo

Like Doctor?

Would you have supported Olara

Like a Politician

Min Payira?

Who knew Min Payira

Who ever met Min Payira?

Who were Min Payira’s

Friends?

Who has Min Payira’s

Photos?

Just the face

I only want

I want to know

If her granddaughters resemble her

I want to know which of her granddaughters speak like here

Walk like her and or

Smart like her.

Who has

Min Payira’s

Stories?