By Ochieng Collines(Amelia)
I have a canvas
I have a canvas plain and white
Bright like our nation’s future
On it I want to paint a picture
Reflecting our nation’s future
With high precision I will capture
Everything
From failed administrative structure
to unnecessary
Expenditure by the legislature
I want to expose the texture,
Moisture, mixture, the true nature
Of our nation’s architecture
I want to paint my pain on this canvas.
Red is the colour of love
And also the colour of blood
So with a red paint I will paint their promises
Red like blood I will flood this canvas with
Their broken promises and bloody responses
They left corpses of innocent people on pavements
Responding to what they termed “treason”
When they failed to listen to reason
And decided to make their own decision
This is the failure of those in power in this nation
They promise paradise but offer total oblivion
Red no longer stands for love in this nation
But it screams danger
So allow me to paint my pain on this canvas.
I’ll deep, deep deeping my brush
In a deep dark black paint
Painting the deep potholes on our roads
This canvas I will cover in a black paint
Darkening it like the hearts of those in power
So we can call them nothing but black hearts
Their hearts darker than the deep holes in hell
This I must tell because everything they want to sell
Instead of improving mama mboga’s life
They want to sell Safaricom shares
confusing it for greens
Gone are the dark days we say
But why are we still in the darkness
Of corruption, discrimination, division
And nothing close to inclusion, conclusion
Consideration, consolidation and conservation
Of this nation.
Cost of living in this nation
Is rocketing high like the standards
Of a broke lady ready to call an old man daddy
Just to have a steady life ready
On this canvas I want to paint the terrain
Of this nation in green
To show how our leaders have ignored agriculture
The backbone and the strength of our nation
Farmers work hard to have high yields
But get paid low wages lower than
The standards of a broke man
I’ll cover this canvas in green because
There are no greener pastures in our nation
So we fly out of this nation to feed and
Walk other people’s dogs and call it greener pastures
Because the wages there are better than that
Of a hard working farmer in our nation
So please allow me to paint my pain on this canvas.
My canvas is white and bright
A colour that symbolizes peace
Yet I am not at piece
That’s why I am painting this piece
A piece that symbolizes my pain
So with a white paint I will not coat
Anything because I’ll not use
This paint as an undercoat
But I’ll use it to highlight all the wrongs
Because nothing is right
It pains me to labour hard
To pay taxes so this is labour pain
Though I am not an expecting lady
It still pains me that much
There are no drugs in hospitals
Doctors strike all the time
Nationwide blackout every time, this time
Allow me to paint my pain on this canvas.
Chaotic right?
Chaotic, dramatic, erotic
But nothing romantic, fantastic, therapeutic
That is the nature of my piece of art
I am sorry, I am sorry
I never bought enough paints
To paint my pain to completion
Not because I never wanted to
But because they are too expensive
Like maintaining a modern day relationship
In this economy
I just bought essential colours for this peace
That is black, red, green and white
The colours of our flag a symbol of national unity
So help me
Help me paint my pain on this canvas.
