Poem: My Father’s Son by Manuel Odeny

(Dedicated to childhood memories of growing up in Mombasa and Alfred Ayungu Odeny, My father and model of what I should be to my future wife and children)

Once

when I was still a baby boy

obsessed, thrilled with dark night sky

father said, shut your eyes tightly

then sailed I into dark night sky

dreaming of my arms

dipping in deep, dark-blue velvety

palpating golden sheen of the golden full moon

snatching twinkling stars.

But

i fell like lead

just before hard ground

to my father’s arms- veinated, calloused

his chirped nails safely grabbed

then

i opened my eyes

stretching my empty arms, pink nails

for an earnest glimpse of

a dip of deep, dark-blue velvety

golden sheen of the golden full moon

snatched twinkling stars.

and I felt sad.

Then-

father buried his head on my nape

his grizzly beard tickling my face

making little ‘blurp’ ‘blurp’ sounds

my shrill laughter

accosting his deep throaty laughter

echoing my disappointment into dark night sky

before sailing me into dark night sky

back to his rough-gentle arms

again

again

and again

to dip in deep, dark-blue velvety

palpate golden sheen of the golden full moon

snatching twinkling stars.

“Drink all Ma’s omena* soup

to be taller, reach the dark night sky”

father said, following my gaze

into the dark night sky

static radio bleating reggae

golden full moon bathing us in golden sheen

just me and my father

sleeping in his rough-gentle arms

dreaming of my arms

dipping in deep, dark-blue velvety

palpating golden sheen of the golden full moon

snatching twinkling stars…..

*Omena, from Dholuo. A delicious small fresh water fish found in Lake Victoria.

2^nd July 2011