His shoes are dripping blood,
But we’re all scared to tell him,
Everyone’s calling the kids home,
That screwface is back in the hood
Murmurs go around shouting-
They say the boys are fighting,
That Danny’s been stubbed
And Pete’s been hit by that unseen bullet
Pete sold fried rice by the corner,
He was trying to feed his son
The police sirens are filling the air,
apparently one in uniform was put down
Should we be happy or sad- we both have a man down- even, right?
Nuh!
They’re searching for Sita,
Someone snitched, now Mama’s son is wanted
And a snitch is on the loose
No one’s sleeping in this shantytown
Sita’s bloody shoes are being sniffed out
An outlaw on the run,
We know he’s here – but is it worth our lives?
Nuh!
Let the blue-uniformed search,
So they did, ruthlessly, we felt it in every bone-
Men and women alike
Sita pounced on the snitch stabbing him in the chest
We got the children out of the windows,
The Chief decreed a 5pm-7am curfew
The ghetto
AYIEKO SAMI
Ayieko Sami is a Kenyan writer and a poet letting his pen bleed as his eyes get to see the chaos upstairs. Writing is therapeutic he says. You can read more of his poems at Bird Poetry.
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Chewers 
Ayieko writes of a place where violence is no stranger, and watching one’s back is the norm of existence. It’s difficult to imagine the actions and reactions of those who aren’t an active part of this but are still enveloped in a hostile environment. There are no real boundaries separating good from bad, and those in uniform having vowed to protect, take their own liberties in the name of justice. It’s tough to wrap one’s thoughts around this.
Congratulations Ayieko!
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It is hard to imagine living around that kind of physical violence and I can’t imagine the children seeing such things. Yet we know these types of violent crimes happen often in places that are highly populated. It doesn’t hurt to be reminded about how blessed we are if we are living where we don’t have to deal with such violence and fear. Congratulations on your new publication! Blessings to you, Joni
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