Thika Road Superhighway Poem by David N. Munene

Thika Road Superhighway



I see into ten, twenty years from now
Beauty and elegance by the superhighway
Quite dazzling if you ask me
Impressively puzzling to fathom
An astoundingly outstanding piece of architecture
With convenience and efficacy eminent
Scheduling of trips eased; travelers pleased
Tourists flock in; developing Worlds come to witness
Certainly, we are proud

But alas!
The usual cop waves; driver waves back
“Tatu tano, sita kumi” is missing
“Daily Nation, People Daily hapo” is lacking
No one to talk to at the bus stop
It now is branded “Bus Bay”
Motorists no longer wave at each other
The traffic jam is history
And so is every job that was part of its story
Where thou art, fellow Kenyan?

Children crossing the zebra
Can’t help but notice how things have changed!
Back then complexions were almost similar
Today they don’t look too familiar
Eyes were relatively the same size
Now in the flock, some have very narrow eyes
Hair styles were uniform,
Presently, one or two have a bob cut
I am the only one bothered
Only I recall the builders were Chinese

Expressway we have hit
In whatever way best fit
No looking back, no retreating,
Hit the road jack…
Car stereos are only on for five minutes
After which the uniformed, courteous conductor,
Requests us to alight before the bus gets late
There is order and organization aye
For no sooner had we hied, than we byed

Evening news lack their fatal carnage flavour
Police spokesman is happy with the drivers
No one calls them matatus
They were slowly phased out
And now hung as artifacts in the Museum
There will not be any repairs soon
The waving trees have taken root by the superhighway
Save for the cost of fuel, tours are cheaper

This is the superhighway;
That we dreamt of day and night
That feels like paradise alright
Where we carry generations through state-of-the-art
On which with our very own motorcade,
We have ferried us into staggering stardom
And carried our tradition and culture into renovation
For which we credit the then regime heartily
Forgetting the past that we barely loved

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David N. Munene

David N. Munene

Kalimoni, Kenya
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