Beggar, beggars

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Beggar, begging

***** Location: Kenya, Japan
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

Begging means asking people for money, food, shelter or other things, when one is not able to give anything instead. It is also referred to as sponging, spanging (short for "spare-changing") or (in American English) panhandling.

In larger cities, it is common to see beggars who ask for money, food, or other items. Typically, beggars often beg for spare change equipped with coffee cups, mugs, small boxes, hats, or other items into which monies can be placed and sometimes display signs with messages such as "Help me. I'm homeless."
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

Bettler, Heimatloser


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chokoraa, chokora - "street boy" or "parking boy"

and "street children"
"street mothers"

These are the people (most often boys) living in the street, making an income from begging, collecting and selling rubbish for recycling, keeping an eye on parked cars, and also sniffing glue, eating whatever they can find, and stealing here and there. The government has a policy of bringing the street children into schools or training institutions, and they have become far fewer in the city centre of Nairobi in recent years. They do quite well if they are brought to a home and provided with education; their problem is that usually their parents cannot cope and abandon them to their own devices.

Isabelle Prondzynski

. . . CLICK here for Photos !




a chokoraa waves
his candidate's portrait--
Hamza terminus

Andrew Otinga
September 2010



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"Kenya has become a country of ten millionaires
and ten million beggars."

- Kenyan politican J.M. Kariuki, assassinated in 1975
source : www.kenya-advisor.com


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Worldwide use


Canada

August 25 is the annual Day of the Homeless in Toronto.
It's promoted by The Good Neighbours’ Club.
World Homeless Day is on the 10/10 each year.

Day of the Homeless
a memorial service
for John Doe

Chen-ou Liu
Canada

Reference : World Homeless Day


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India


cold January night -
I think beggars are the only ones
without a caste


bitterly cold night -
I toss coins one by one
towards a beggar

duly ironed
dhobi casts the moon
again in the sky


with the bowl--
beggar collecting
spring happiness

Manu Kant
JOJ, 2012


quote
The Dhobi are a caste group found in Pakistan, India who specialize in washing clothes. The word Dhobi is derived from Hindi word dhona, which means to wash. They are found throughout North India, Gujarat, Maharashtra as well as the Punjab province of Pakistan, where they are known as Gazar. The Dhobi is likely to be of diverse origin, with those who ancestors took the occupation of washing clothes evolving over time into a distinct caste, bound by rules of endogamy. Most Dhobis follow the customs and traditions of the region they live, so for example those in North India speak Hindi, while those in Maharashtra speak Marathi.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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Japan

monogoi 物ごい / 物乞い beggar, begging

binboonin 貧乏人 Bimbo, "a poor person"

gokutsubushi 穀つぶし, 穀潰し, ごくつぶし a person without a job or income



hoomuresu ホームレス　homeless

. Poor Monk (dooshinboo 道心坊) .
konjiki, kojiki, kotsujiki 乞食 beggar, Bettelmönch


kojiki 乞食 beggar (an old word used by Issa)
tsuji no kojiki 辻の乞食 crossroads beggar





薦を着て誰人います花の春
. komo o kite tarebito imasu hana no haru .
who is this man wearing a straw mat ?

. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .



. Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶　and his Beggar Haiku .


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虱とる乞食の妻や梅がもと
shirami toru kojiki no tsuma ya ume ga moto

the beggar's wife
picks off the lice -
under the plum blossoms
Tr. Gabi Greve



月天心貧しき町を通りけり
tsuki tenshin mazushiki machi o toorikeri

the full moon
overhead, i pass through
a poor town
Tr. Robin D. Gill

. moon and Yosa Buson 与謝蕪村 in Edo .


by Yamaguchi Hitomi 山口瞳

tsukitenshin, a kigo for autumn.

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runpen ルンペン　"Lumpen", tramp, loafer, bum, hobo





ルンペンに今宵のベンチありやなし
runpen ni koyoi no benchi ari ya nashi

for the tramp
a bench tonight -
maybe yes, maybe not




ルンペンのうたげの空に星一つ
runpen no utage no sora ni hoshi hitotsu

at the banquet
of the tramps high in the sky
just one star


. ルンペン晩餐図
Shinohara Hosaku 篠原鳳作 　



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boro　ぼろ　tattered cloths, rags
boro ichi　ぼろ市 flea market
Any piece of an old robe could be re-used like patchwork to make another robe, then a piece of wiping cloth and finally back to earth to become manure. In the Edo period, not one thread was wasted.


うしろからぼろを笑ふよ梅の花
ushiro kara boro o warau yo ume no hana

behind me
laughter at my rags...
plum blossoms

Kobayashi Issa
Tr. David Lanoue


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boro utte sake koote samishiku mo aru ka

If I sell my rags
And buy some sake
Will there still be loneliness?

. 山頭火 Santoka and Sake


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Mongolia

Beggars in Mongolia
- Reference -


spring
while everything awakens
a beggar sleeps soundly

Sodkhuu Altanchuluun

. MONGOLIA SAIJIKI .


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Homeless
Down at city bus-link
Waiting, destination nowhere !

- Shared by Mokhtar Sah Malik -
Haiku Culture Magazine, 2014


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Things found on the way


. Deity to bring poverty 貧乏神 binboogami, bimbogami
with Haiku by Kobayashi Issa - bimbô kami





Priest Daito as beggar

Kojiki Daitoozoo
乞食大燈像(こじきだいとうぞう)
白隠慧鶴筆 Painting by Hakuin

source : Tokyo National Museum







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. Shotoku Taishi and Daruma as a beggar
聖徳太子とだるま



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HAIKU

なめくじよお主いつからホームレス　
namekuji yo onushi itsu kara hoomuresu

dear slug !
since when are you
homeless?

Maeda Tomio 前田吐実男
source : rekishitanbou.com


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sudden rain--
the dwarf beggar limps
to the pavement

Caleb Mutua


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Patrick Wafula

even beggars
line up mangoes for sale--
Haile Selassie Avenue

source : Nairobi Haiku



ndizi for lunch --
a ragged beggar
asks me for a coin

source : Arusha Travel


ndizi is Swahili for banana


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drizzling --
a beggar tightly clings to
a mug of hot tea

~Simon Magak (Bamboocha)

source : Tea in Kenya


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festive month--
Christmas tones from the
blind beggar's flute

Caleb David Mutua, Kenya, 2009

Christmas Haiku


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the old beggar -
a pockmarked face
always smiling

Gabi Greve, 2005
My beggar friend in India



cold winter eve -
a homeless heads
for KFC's backdoor

Gabi Greve, Fast Food



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winter sunset --
the beggar's shadow
grows thinner

Melissa Spurr
Shiki Kukai October 2009


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first snow --
the homeless man's bed is
no longer here

The first snow fell in Brussels on 25 November, when I wrote this haiku. The homeless man, who had lived for more than a year in the sheltered corner of an office building, disappeared that day with his bed and his few other belongings, which he had always kept so tidily. He has still not returned, and I wonder, worry, what has become of him...

Isabelle Prondzynski
Happy Haiku, December 2010


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mango peels-
a chokoraa makes
a feast

Andrew Otinga
Januaray 2011



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Related words

***** WKD : Haiku with BEGGAR


***** . kojiki shibai 乞食芝居 beggar's performance, beggar's play .
hitorishibai, hitori shibai　一人芝居 one-man theater
often with the left and right side of the body with different make-up and costumes, so one person could play two roles.


begger #beggar #kojiki
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Pig, pigs

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Pig, pigs

***** Location: Kenya
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Animal

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Explanation

Regarding the pig as a kigo, we cannot say for sure that it can be a kigo in Nairobi, since pigs roam freely on the streets and in the village of Soweto.
However, during the rain season, they are out there in plenty since there is plenty of stagnant water and mud for them to allow in.
In the dry season, pigs wallow in the open sewerage rivulets that flow freely from the pit latrines in the Soweto village.

Pigs are also present at the dump sites furrowing for food left-overs and worms.

My most horrifying experience with pigs in Soweto was last year 2009 one February morning when I came across a group of dumbfounded women looking wordlessly at a pig devouring a dead baby, which it had picked from a nearby dump site.

I am not going to eat pork in a long while!


More about the pigs in Soweto/Kayole Villages.

The roaming pigs are owned by some residents, and given that rearing them is an expensive affair, the pig farmers opt for the easier option: allowing the animals freedom to scavenger for food around the village. The pig food is plenty and freely available. At market stalls, vegetable remains and fruit peelings are readily available; in the leaking pit latrine trenches, maggots and earthworms are freely available.

Pigs are a lucrative business. One adult pig costs between 16,000/- to 20,000/- Kshs. almost the same price as a fully grown cow. Now the many pork kiosks in Kayole/Soweto get their pork supplies from these roaming pigs.

A word of caution to the fans of pork, though: roaming pigs act as pathogens to certain worms and we should ensure the meet is thoroughly boiled or fried. The best pork is one from confined pigs which are fed and cared for by a farmer himself.

And have you ever come across roaming goats that feed on mandazi?
It would be very interesting to pay a visit to our Soweto/Kayole Village. Our goats and pigs are so domesticated and pet that they feed not only on mandazi, but also cakes! That is not all: there are plenty of roaming dogs too who mingle freely with the above animals to form a very unique family. The only irony is that when pigs or goats are slaughtered, the dogs sit patiently outside the pork and bacon shops waiting for their share of their colleagues' left overs!

muddy road--
a black goat grabs mandazi
from a deserted stall

pork butchery--
a dog waits patiently
for the bones


Patrick Wafula
Kenya Saijiki Forum


mandazi
A traditional donut-like breakfast food also sold all over East Africa as a warm snack.


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Photo Isabelle Prondzynski


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a story from Malaba - Teso District, Kenya

James is thirty eight years old and is married to a business lady. Together they have three children: two are boys and one is a girl. The boys are big and in high school while the last born is in baby class. The wife’s business is a grocery with a specialty in selling ground nuts from Uganda.
James started his pig business three years ago . . .
Read the full story here:
source : www.kiva.org


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Worldwide use

Japan

. WASHOKU
Pig and Pork (buta, ton 豚　ぶた)


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU


children shout at a pig
creeping in stagnant muddy water-
sunny morning

yamame
Feb 2010


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hot afternoon --
a pig eating crunched biscuits
on the road

Antony Mwangi
March 2010


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hot afternoon--
lively piglets frisk in the
muddy water

Caleb Mutua
Kenya Saijiki Forum, Feb. 2009


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two pigs
lie in the mud . . .
become so dirty

Mourice Opondo
May 2007


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two piglets eat
sweet potato peelings --
grey morning

Patrick Wafula
September 2010


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a pig
running down the sewage --
Kibera

Margreta Nzilili
Kenya Saijiki Forum, Aug. 2007


Kibera is one of the most pronounced slums within Kenya.

Kibera, Kenya is the largest slum in Kenya and is home to an estimate 1.2 million people. It is an illegal settlement with no government services including electricity, water, sewage and garbage pickup. When it rains all the garbage, sewage and dirt wash down the hills into the trench.
source : www.adventures.org


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a piglet sheltering
under an old hand cart -
scorching sun

Andrew Otinga
January 2011


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snorting pig
busy searching and searching--
garbage heap

Abraham Muuo


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a pig's snout sinks
in a muddy dust bin--
evening snack

black mud
on a pig's snout--
stroll by the stream

Brian Etole


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Related words

***** Nairobi City


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Shamba garden

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Shamba

***** Location: Kenya
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

Shamba

Even though it is originally Swahili, it is now in the Oxford ENGLISH dictionary, with the meaning "a cultivated plot of ground".

Kenyans often translate it into English as "garden", but it is not the same thing as a garden in Europe. Sometimes, it could be a smallish field. The Oxford English dictionary probably has it right, by accepting it now as an English word in its own right, with the meaning quoted above.

Isabelle Prondzynski
March 2010


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shamba (food garden, Kenya)
-- Britannica Online Encyclopedia


'shamba' is a Swahili word meaning farm . . .


shamba (smallholding)


Kenya's 'shamba' or Tongya system
has been generally defined as a form of agroforestry, where farmers are encouraged to cultivate primary crops . . .


an agroforestry system, known as 'the shamba system' . . .


More Reference


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Worldwide use



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Things found on the way


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HAIKU


March planting--
traces of maize rows
on the shamba

Hussein Haji

Kenya Saijiki Forum


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Related words

***** kitchen gardening

topic for haiku

In towns especially in Nairobi, were people do not have farms,they plant in sacs, benches etc.
Some hung containers while others put sacs where they can water.I am happy that they are observing the planting season.

kitchen gardening--
rain water drips from one
bench to another

James Bundi
Nairobi, March 2010


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. Plantation activities


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Kanga wrapping cloth

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Kanga, kangas wrapping cloth, leso, lesso

***** Location: Kenya
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

The colour orange is very popular in Kenyan textiles, particularly among the Kikuyus and Maasais. Traditional wraparound cloths, called kanga, often use yellow and orange patters in the ever changing designs.



There is a famous book called "100 uses for a kanga" -- and there are at least that many, probably many more!

Text and photo : Isabelle Prondzynski


. More photos of kanga .



Similar cloths are the kikoi and the kitenge.

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The words lesso and kanga or khanga have now been officially accepted as English words, and now they can be found in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 8th Edition page 819.
Patrick Wafula

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quote
History of Kanga

Kangas originated on the coast of East Africa in the mid 19th century. As the story goes, some stylish ladies in Zanzibar got the idea of buying printed kerchiefs in lengths of six, from the bolt of cotton cloth from which kerchiefs were usually cut off and sold singly. They then cut the six into two lengths of three, and sewed these together along one side to make 3-by-2 sheet; or bought different kinds of kerchiefs and sewed them back together to form very individualistic designs.

The new design was called "leso" after the kerchief squares that had originally been brought to Africa by Portuguese traders. The leso quickly became popular than the other kind of patterned cloth available. Before long, enterprising coastal shopkeepers sent away for special designs, printed like the six-together leso pieces, but as a single unit of cloth.

These early designs probably had a border and a pattern of white spots on a dark background. The buyers (or more likely, their menfolk !) quickly came to call these cloths "KANGA" after the noisy, sociable guinea-fowl with its elegant spotty plumage.

Early this century, Swahili sayings were added to kangas. Supposedly this fashion was started by a locally famous trader in Mombasa, Kaderdina Hajee Essak, also known as "Abdulla". His many kanga designs, formerly distinguished by the mark "K.H.E. - Mali ya Abdulla", often included a proverb. At first, the sayings, aphorisms or slogans were printed in Arabic script, later in Roman letters. Many of them have the added charm (or frustration!) of being obscure or ambiguous in their meaning. If you find a motto that you can't figure out, ask several different Swahili speakers. You will get an equal number of different explanations! Some typical kanga sayings are listed on the following page, for your edification and enjoyment.

source : www.glcom.com/hassan / Swahili language and culture






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Worldwide use



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Things found on the way


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HAIKU


cold July evening --
market women wrap kangas
round their necks

Patrick Wafula, Kenya, 2009


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quick nap-
she burns her kanga
on a jiko

joseph nzilili
September 2010


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Sunday afternoon-
she carries her child
in a leso

Sibiko Yamame


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cold breeze-
mother covers her child
with a khanga

Mercy Amunze
June 2012


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BACK to the Worldkigo ABC Index

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Polling Day, Election Day

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Trinidad and Tobago Saijiki

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Polling Day, Election Day

***** Location: Trinidad and Tobago, worldwide
***** Season: Non-seasonal Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

There are many things to be elected.
Poems about this topic might tend to be more on the side of senryu.



Political election day, kigo for various seasons, see below.

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Politics of Trinidad and Tobago takes place in a framework of a unitary state, with a parliamentary democracy modelled on that of the UK, from which it gained independence in 1962. Under the 1976 republican Constitution, the British monarch was replaced as head of state by a President chosen by an electoral college composed of the members of the bicameral Parliament, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The general direction and control of the government rests with the Cabinet, led by a Prime Minister. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are answerable (at least in theory) to the House of Representatives.

Read more:
Politics of Trinidad and Tobago / Wikipedia

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CBCnews

Monday, November 5, 2007

The possibility of sweeping constitutional changes that would turn Trinidad and Tobago's government into a U.S.-style presidency is at stake as voters began casting ballots at 6 a.m. Monday in a national election.

The governing People's National Movement, or PNM, held 20 of 36 seats in the oil-rich Caribbean country's previous Parliament and is likely to be re-elected with a comfortable majority, unless the two main opposition parties can avoid vote-splitting.

Prime Minister Patrick Manning is hoping to gain a special majority of at least 28 seats in Parliament — which, after boundary changes, now has 41 seats — to introduce constitutional amendments that will establish an executive presidency.
　©www.cbc.ca


MORE !
"Trinidad and Tobago" election day 2007


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Worldwide use

England (United Kingdom)

Election Day in the United Kingdom is by tradition a Thursday, but the date for general elections is not fixed by law. Most other European countries hold all Elections on Sundays.
Polls in the United Kingdom open at 7:00 and close at 22:00.

© More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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USA

Election Day
first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
Observed by the federal and state governments in applicable years; legal holiday in some states.
kigo for autumn


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU



polling day ..
the ink stains
on indeX fingers

©　Gillena Cox, November 2007

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Election Day morning: haiku

Election Day morning.
The factory whistle seems
to go on forever.

Election Day morning.
Gray squirrels forage in the oaks.
The clatter of acorns.

Many more are here:
　©　vita negativa


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Related words



BACK TO
Trinidad and Tobago Saijiki


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Banana fruit

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Banana fruit

***** Location: Kenya, other countries
***** Season: Non-seasonal Topic (see below)
***** Category: Plant

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Explanation

Bananas exist all year round here in Kenya, both as green and ripe bananas.

Partrick Wafula




xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx



24th July 2006 -
Banana Information Service goes live

Kenya's first large-scale voice information line to support rural farmers went live today. The service supports banana growers at all stages, from first deciding whether to grow bananas, through to planting, maintenance, harvesting and pest control.
©　www.llsti.org

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Banana is the common name used for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa, and is also the name given to the fruit of these plants. They are native to the tropical region of Southeast Asia, the Malay Archipelago, and Australia. Today, they are cultivated throughout the Tropics.

Banana plants are of the family Musaceae. They are cultivated primarily for their fruit, and to a lesser extent for the production of fibre and as ornamental plants. Because of their size and structure, banana plants are often mistaken for trees. The main or upright growth is called a pseudostem, which for some species can obtain a height of up to 2–8 m, with leaves of up to 3.5 m in length. Each pseudostem produces a single bunch of bananas, before dying and being replaced by a new pseudostem.

The banana fruit grow in hanging clusters, with up to 20 fruit to a tier (called a hand), and 3-20 tiers to a bunch. The total of the hanging clusters is known as a bunch, or commercially as a "banana stem", and can weigh from 30–50 kg. The fruit averages 125 g, of which approximately 75% is water and 25% dry matter content.

Each individual fruit (known as a banana or 'finger') has a protective outer layer (a peel or skin) with a fleshy edible inner portion. Typically the fruit has numerous strings (called 'phloem bundles') which run between the skin and the edible portion of the banana, and which are commonly removed individually after the skin is removed. Bananas are a valuable source of Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, and potassium.

Bananas are grown in 132 countries worldwide, more than any other fruit crop.

©　Read more in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Worldwide use

Hawaii

Banana is a year round fruit.

banana belt
best place
on the Kona Coast

shanna moore, Hawaii

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Japan

Banana, banana バナナ banana fruit
kigo for all summer 　

..... mibashoo 甘蕉（みばしょう）

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Bashoo named himself after a Japanese banana tree !!!



Matsuo Basho　松尾芭蕉

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Cloth from banana fibers, bashoofu 芭蕉布
This is a traditional cloth from Okinawa.
bashofu, a fabric woven from the banana-like basho plant

The plant from which it gets its name grows wild in the hills, and the specific fiber used for weaving is called ito-basho. When the trunk of the basho plant reaches two meters, after about two years, it is cut down and fibers are taken from the trunk. The fibers are washed and boiled in water for several cycles before the weaving begins. Coloring from natural dyes is obtained from other plants. It takes about two months from the cutting down of the basho plant to finish the fabric.

After the war, the bashofu industry was all but ruined because of a shortage of the plants and the complexity of the weaving method. But Mrs. Toshiko Taira and fellow residents of Kijoka realized the significance of preserving the traditional textile-making that was handed down from generation to generation. So the women planted basho plants and revived the textilemaking activity. As a result of their efforts, the activity was designated an Intangible National Treasure in 1972.
The women of Kijoka contributed greatly to advertising the quality of a traditional Okinawan textile.
©　www.okinawatimes.co.jp





. . bashoofu 芭蕉布（ばしょうふ） "banana fiber cloth"
humanity kigo for all summer


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. bashoo 芭蕉 (ばしょう) plantain, banana plant 　
Musa paradisiaca
This plant is best liked for its large leaves.


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Trinidad and Tobago

banana is also a year round fruit in Trinidad and Tobago

gillena cox


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU

vibrant bananas
keenly watching at you
as you pass by

hawkers allover
kiondos full of bananas
on their backs

kiondos--- baskets


Gladys Kathini, Nairobi


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. . . . . INDIA

In India this fruit is native to all watery areas, even in some hills. In South India they prefer to call it plantain, banana elsewhere, the same thing.
While raw - unripe fruit- is cooked as vegatable, the ripe ones are taken as fruit and it is very common in every household. Different types of bananas with different names are produced in India. It has many health giving qualities too in it.


A monkey snatches
a bunch of banana and eats-
sitting on a parapet.

© Aju Mukhopadhyay, India, 2007



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Related words

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Ageing in Kenya

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Ageing

***** Location: Kenya
***** Season: Non-seasonal Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation


grandfather, grandmother

Ageing in Kenya implies growing in status from age group to successive age group. From childhood to initiation and adulthood... From adulthood to marriage and parenthood... With marriage come certain rights and responsibilities.

With parenthood comes a new name since, traditionally, Kenyans call themselves “father of so-and-so” or “mother of so-and-so” rather than using their own names. A Kenyan parent is eligible to be an elder in the community, the church, and other institutions. As their children grow, Kenyan parents may relax a bit more and allow the children to carry out some of the family chores.

Grandparents are highly respected and cared for by the younger generations. Even today, their story-telling skills are often sought, and they are frequently surrounded by groups of small children enjoying their company.


Grandma Nelly enjoying the afternoon with her neighbours’ children

All this is obviously a gross generalisation, and the many exceptions may totally disprove the “rules”! Everything is not the same for women and men, for urban and rural dwellers, for one ethnic group and another, for married people versus single parents versus single people of the same age group, etc.

Looking at old age in Kenya, the highly respected elderly citizens, who have survived beyond the average life expectancy of about 55 years, do not have it easy. Medical services may be far away, and too expensive for them. Public transport makes few allowances for citizens of reduced mobility -- but the kindness of friends and strangers often makes up for this. The elderly may suffer from missing teeth and poor eyesight and may need special meals cooked for them. If living alone, they will depend on the support of others for their tougher chores, such as fetching water and cultivating the fields. With urbanisation, grandparents living in the rural area often find themselves bringing up their grandchildren, whose parents are busy struggling for a living in the city.

But there are some opportunities that do not stop with old age. Thus, Kimani Ng’ang’a Maruge became famous throughout the world when he took up the new opportunity of free primary education and went back to school at the age of 84, studying together with some of his grandchildren! He was invited to speak before the United Nations General Assembly and has become a role model for elderly people in many countries.

Text and photos © Isabelle Prondzynski


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Worldwide use

Japan

Respect for the Aged Day, Keiroo no Hi

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Things found on the way


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HAIKU

The haiku below were written as part of the
Shiki Kukai of March 2008 :
http://www.haikuworld.org/kukai/current.html


They were appreciated and discussed by the Haiku Clubs of Nairobi at their Arboretum Kukai of 29 March 2008.



Discussion of haiku on ageing at the Arboretum Kukai


my grandfather --
using less and less
of his cane

~ Abraham Muuo


my grandmother
looking at me closely --
the frown on her face

~ Anne Wairimu


sunny evening --
my grandmother talking
to herself

~ Solomon Kilelu


breezy evening --
my grandmother
trembles

~ Wandera David



Medical chit for elderly ladies’ visits to the dispensary


my grandmother
brushing a toothless mouth--
ageing

~ Joseph Kilunda


my grandfather
holding onto my hand --
a slow walk

~ Onesmus


my grandfather
chewing soft vegetables --
his toothless mouth

~ John Mwangi


grey beads swing
an old man rides a bike
across a pine road

~ hussein haji


my grandmother
struggling to chew meat --
lunchtime

~ Martin Kamau


my grandfather
searching for his specs --
grey eyes

~ Fatuma Katana



Ever active in community affairs


my grandmother --
cap tightly covering
her bald head

~ Bilha Wanjiku


my mother
looking for dye --
more grey hair

~ Irene Muthengi


my grandmother
searching for tobacco --
a new pipe

~ Lucy Nyambura



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Related words

***** Bukusu Initiation / Circumcision

***** Arboretum Kukai of the Haiku Clubs of Nairobi

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THE KENYA SAIJIKI
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