We are students from Gatondo Primary School, ready to present you a Kikuyu Poem entitled “The Boy Child”, written by Mr Irungu. Welcome!
Remember Us! Remember Us! Kamau, Mwangi and Karianyu
ehhh Father, have we really been so forsaken??
Mother (Not sure what they say here)
The Boy Child is not as The Girl Child.
Remember Us!
Wacu and Wacuka. They are the girl child.
If you see them walking to school, ain’t they beautiful, ain’t
they a sight to behold! Just like the Rose Of Sharon
The Boy Child is not as The Girl Child.
Remember Us!
If you see me going to school (Exclamation of Disbelief) you might say, its a wheeled cart ( I guess lol) carrying a pile of potatoes.
Holes at the back of my pants, call them indicator lights!
The boy child is not as the girls child.
Remember Us!
Come the Sabbath Day. “Kamau go herd the animal. My dear Njeri, go
to Sunday school and be blessed”
When will I ever be blessed?? Tell me now Dad and Mum!
The boy child is not as the girl Child.
Remember Us!
Father (some animal) breast feeds its child (not sure what they say there)
When its time for me to transition into manhood, you call your friends to tutor me. They give me perverse teachings, I receive corrupt
advice and my life is left to ruins.
Bhang, alcohol and the like become my friends
The boy child is not as the girl child
Remember Us!
If God the Rewarder rewards me with education I may Join the local High school.
Come weekends we are served with Githeri without beans, The
students murmur and plan to strike.
“It can’t be the girls who did this”, the Headteacher will say. “It must be
the Mwangis and Karianyu. Expel them immediately!
The Boy Child is not as The Girl Child.
Remember Us!
God forbid there should be robbery in the village, we are in hot soup!
The police round us up. We receive a sound beating, like a redheaded
stepchild. Like a child who poured grandfathers (food or something..)
They ask for a bribe I cant afford and they take my coat and send me to
court.
Judge ‘George’ immediately sends me to jail without bail..
The Boy child is not as the girl child.
Remember Us!
On the News Headlines, “Mwangi and Karianyu, Now the leaders of
gangs”. (I hope I got that right)
Father sells his livestock just so I may get her hand in marriage.
But when she gets home, I can never have it.
You say sleep? Fights, never having anything to eat and insults. The
Kikuyu say, It never rains and lacks to dry, But ours has never dried up…
…. it screams when its cornered.. (or something close to that)
Listener, We ask what shall we do?? We ask again, what shall we do??
Help us that we may atleast live.
The Boy child is not as the Girl Child.
Remember Us!
We are Out!
