Kenyan writer Mukoma wa Ngugi was one year older on February 27. The 46 years old author, who recently published a collection of poems, marked his birthday by sharing a poem on Facebook titled “Taking Tally at 46 and Friends.” In the poem, he celebrates his community of friends and family, in addition to his fruitful career as a writer.
We wish him a delightful and productive 46th year!
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Taking Tally at 46 For Family and Friends
At forty-six I have had my fair share of losses
but I have much more to celebrate, family both near
and far for whom love is the currency of exchange
not always but often enough. Friends who still fight
even in their sleep for a world without centers and walls
for whom generosity is community, not always
but often enough. And I can count six books
not yet my best work I hope, but enough crumbs
for my daughter to follow. I have lived
long enough to know that tyrants come and go
but the people remain. Yes we lose some whose
names we know but enough strangers remain
to carry on. All the same though, for my 50th
I want a goddamn revolution!
Mukoma
February 27
Cortland/Ithaca NY
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Post image by World Literature Today via Flickr.
Amara March 10, 2017 07:44
I enjoyed this. But to digress, surely you good people of Brittle Paper are aware that Ayobami Adebayo and Yewande Omotoso have been longlisted for The Bailey's Prize. Where's the post celebrating this? Na wa.