African poetry

Things fall apart.

I be say in tribute to the Nigerian poet chinua Achebe I write my own story
For if you are an African the world is turned upside down so mama apondi the teacher my own mother lay on the sofa set feeling the pain of a teacher that pain of not reaching a hand out to touch the Kenyan child enslaved by ignorance and stupidity through her calling teaching and being a reject of her own students she walked home to a sick child in the thores of manhood a beast untamable the village cock giving no ear to the wind bringing forth the voice of knives being sharpening by the grinder man who visits to sharpen not the sharpest knife in the drawer but the blunt vegetable knives the cock had laughed it could not be used on him. Mama apondi watched as things fell apart the cloak of gift they all had in times of harvest was discarded and no one helped mama to sing the dirges because baba had died yes he was dead in Providence dead in company dead in displining dead dead the worth of a man is duty to his family mama had been taught baba had walked out to go into another womb and bring forth another son because he couldn't stand being called a one eyed king.
The temple sheet of calm tore up to two the heavens darkened up mama cried in anguish iloi iloi what I'm I supposed to do with this man cub coming home in the ungodly hours walking with the village sluggards visiting the dangerous forest to seek the game meat when the hyenas lurked around mama murmured to the man cub he who is not taught by his own mother will be taught by the world finding out the irony in the kiswahili proverb child care was left for the mother so it was her burden to bear but without a farm to till she could not feed the cubs that lapped on the grain as if it was water. She had to seek help because a bird cannot fly on one wing alone yet she was known as the giver but reciprocity was so foreign in this black man new civilization where the community didn't share a single water point and the sons and daughters of the land were not cared for and guided by the community as a whole mama apondi wished for help in talking  to the man cub who was with each passing moon growing fangs biting more than the struggle to put food on the table now she was turning into the butt of the community jokes with eyes trailing her from the market to home with sneers from the envious women folk who had nothing to do nowadays waiting on the man to provide woo unto the ohh mama apondi said to herself  lest they laugh the ill wind of my misfortunes befalls on them.Mama apondi was lonely with no one to hold her hand and husband with her her struggles her friends had deserted from her midst like the wilderbeasts when the grass ends unbeknown to them that the grass ain't greener on the other side and the watching African gods had a wide river with the disguised man eaters manning it's waters looking for the lax ones laughing carefreely pointing a finger at the unfortunate one sitting injured by the water point licking her wounds waiting for the change of tides praying to the gods invoking their way in her life opening her mind to the knowledge of pain pain from deep betrayal betrayal from her mate betrayal from her rock betrayal from her pillars mama apondi was left recoiled on her pallet feeling the fullest swing of the tempest watching their cold comforts their social circles rife with water from the cogs of the rumor mill that mama was with no man her son was now a delinquent her farm was unploughed for months she had no yam for fufu mama was suffering but the man cub stayed away in revolt not to mama but to the whole pride system that had given him security and love trusting the sense of belonging would live on and the game meat would be served daily so the African sun would never set without him taking a fill on the sweetest gazelle blood but the truth about the wilderness was kicking in the meat was short mama could not hunt with on leg hurt she was faced with the challenge of the island man and the vagabond man cub was not the only mouth to feed turning into a stray dog then expecting a meal to fall like maana from heaven yet he had not even given a whiff of stench as sweat for the hard earn meal.
The man cub was into sleep the displine was not present mama apondi clutched on the uplifting gospel of the white man for the African gods had forsaken her blessing the union of baba and his side kick with a rock in his sling she read aloud Jesus wept then cried her Hut out by the fire smoke so that if she was found crying by one of her river source she could blame the tears on the smoke.The man cub was now into clouds of smoke even the hunters brought the news to mama as she was forced to attend various displinary meetings that yielded no fruits, baba was having a lifetime of fun with his new catch visiting only when she was away leaving a morsel for the hungry cubs whose hearts were gladdened with appreciation after going for days without food.
Mama never mentioned a thing about the man cubs poor hunting skills to baba but baba got a wind of the man cubs errant ways but choose to distant himself from the issue guided by Delilah who now warmed his loins.
The man cub was vexed how could they break up was I the reason for this? Did baba not want me? Am I a disgrace to mama who doesn't pamper me with love anymore touring in her own mind sleeping by the lush grass far away from my playing field? The man cub couldn't relate to the loneliness at home so he journeyed to the forest to join a group of outcast cubs who caused alot of havoc in the hunt field meant to serve as a pouch of food for the whole pride, mama apondi soon joined the pride but she had been in her own personal grief to realize the changes that had occurred in the man cub. She refused to believe the man cub was flawed she even defend him when he deliberately errored forcing the pride engage in labourous chases that could have been avoided if he followed the rules of the pride upon others seeing things in the pride were falling apart they banished the man cub who now returned to his senses but mama was deeply troubled.She decided to shelve her thoughts that the man cub was the son she once knew and watched him one holiday from practice the man cub and his useless friends had started stealing food from the pride grannery feasting on the meat....