ONE. There is a boy beside me; a small boy. He is eating bread and akara. The woman beside me is eating bread and akara too. Everybody in the bus is eating bread and akara. But I do not join them. I do not follow the multitude to do evil. The woman offers me […]
On the Edge of the World.
“When you fall in love, it is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake, and then it subsides. And when it subsides, you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots are to become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this […]
How To Welcome Death.
The girl who sat beside Andrew in the waiting room was ugly. There was no better or softer way to put it. Being the cool and friendly person he was, Andrew did not want to conclude that she was ugly. And so he tried to look for something, something beautiful about her no matter how […]
Fiction or Nonfiction
FAILURE. I have forgotten the taste of failure. I have forgotten how the cold the hands can be at the touch of failure, of not succeeding. I have survived a long time without failure I do not even know that the enemy still exists. My lack of failure however does not mean I have always […]
White.
Toluwalope, I. As a child, I always dreamed of my future husband. I think it would be fair if I told you that I suffered from sleeplessness when I was small. I found it hard to sleep during the night and so as to make myself dizzy, I had to think of something sweet or […]
The Truth You Know.
Each time you go to visit your brother in the asylum, you want to tell him the truth. Or rather, the truth wants to get out of you. You try to remain strong and conceal the truth under blankets of sympathy. Sometimes you succeed. Most times you know you are about to fuck up so […]
His First Sex.
The day he died, he had sex. It was his first time. He did not die during the act, no. He was moaning sensually and wishing it would never end. But it did end, and his life with it. It happened on a Sunday. The boy had just woken up in his room at a […]
The Other Side.
ONE. The sun is shining brightly. It must have been scorching but l do not feel it. In the car, everything is warm. I look outside and see what happens when shelter starts a fight with you. I look up and see what happens when Harmattan decides that it’s not going to rear its […]
Waves.
Dear Wanjiku, I received your parcels last week. I’m sorry this is coming late. I have been down for a while now and I’m just getting on my feet. I saw the beautiful photos you sent, most especially the Nairobi sunset. It looks more beautiful than when you described it. I’m thinking of coming over […]
Like Mary.
When I first got my sister’s message, I was overjoyed. It was a Sunday. I do not usually take my phone to church so I left it at home that Sunday and went to the church with mum and dad. Church was great. Our pastor preached about unfaithfulness in marriage. I liked the message because […]