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Politicised Funerals - Stephen Partington

Written by Kwani · April 2, 2008

Pity our waheshimiwa,
haggling over corpses
like a parody, a farcical enactment
of great Brutus and Mark Antony.

Pity them, the pinstripe dogs
who chew upon the bodies of the dead.
It’s such a growling way
to offer your condolences
to family and friends.

Is it their pay that makes them rabid?

Come, let’s pity them.
For, see, they cannot grieve,
not for their allies nor their enemies.

In death, we all are meat:
come see our leaders
rip and spit and tear and eat.

The mourners see it, take a peek:
the bored-stiff chap inside the coffin’s
gone and voted with his feet.

Stephen Derwent Partington is a teacher and writer based near Machakos. He has previously published a poetry collection, SMS & Face to Face, in Kenya. His poetry and academic prose has appeared in various respectable publications, and he is at present a contributing member of the group, Concerned Kenyan Writers for Justice.

Comments

4 Responses to “Politicised Funerals - Stephen Partington”

  1. Muthoni on April 9th, 2008 7:24 pm

    Thanks; as always, succint and incisive.

    Phyllis

  2. otiato guguyu on May 12th, 2008 11:07 am

    no ptiy us watching the corpse munchin and wishing it was us doing the swallowing

  3. Otiato Opali on May 23rd, 2008 1:33 pm

    Interesting.

    That since someone stole your vote
    And asked you to go to court
    You slay my wife
    And sent me to court to claim her life.

    Interesting.

    Someone tell me, I pray
    What does my wife
    Have to do with your courts
    And votes?

    Otiato Opali

  4. Ivy on July 1st, 2008 5:47 pm

    hi!i think it is very interesting and well put…i think i totally agree!!!how do you get to write so well???good job

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