We praise the man who,
though he held the match between
his finger and his thumb,
beheld the terror of its tiny drop of phosphorous,
its brown and globoid smoothness
like a charred and tiny skull
and so returned it to its box.
So too, we hail the youth who,
though he took his panga on the march,
perceived it odd within his fist
when there was neither scrub
nor firewood to be felled,
so laid it down.
An acclamation for the man who,
though he saw the woman running, clothing torn,
and though he lusted,
saw his mother in her youth,
restrained his colleagues
and withdrew.
We pay our homage to the man who,
though his heart was like a stone
and though he took a stone to cast,
could feel its hardness in the softness of his palm
and grasped the brittleness of bone,
so let it drop.
We laud the man who,
though he snatched to scrutinise
the passenger’s I.D.,
saw not the name – instead, the face –
and slid it back
as any friend might slide his hand to shake a friend’s.
And to the rest of us,
a blessing:
may you never have to be that man,
but if you have to,
BE!
Praise Peom was written in Kenya, January 2008. Stephen Derwent Partington is a teacher in Kenya, and a poet. He lives and works just outside Machakos and is a member of Concerned Kenyan Writers. A collection of poems, SMS & Face to Face, was published by Phoenix, Kenya. Stephen is the Exhibitions Consultant for Generation Kenya.
i love it!i’m touched by ur lines am pleased to av come across this site!
all the more we need kenya as a whole, the future holds for thousands of other poets who can write earth movers just like him………
lets rise and rise and rise from the soiled clothing of 2007-2008
Very nice read.
Doubtless it would be even better recited.
nicely put
I love it….If u HAVE to…BE!
I am crying because this poem touches the core and calls us to be better. It reminds me of my piece called “crushed petals”
awesome piece, this. bravo!
Love it.
I am a poet and Im glad that many of us are taking the bold step of bringing peace to our land through our talent.
Thank you for your words.
LOVELY!cant describe the emotion it’s evoked…
mad LOVE calls for being perfect in our imperfection!!!
A.W.E.S.O.M.E.
so touching…
Nothing could have been more heartbreaking than watching poor kenyans kill each other with alacrity.
I am honored to have met the poet! This is great work of poetry!