What you'd Find...

What you’d find buried under the mighty troubadour clouds of Maseno University

(A higher learning institution in Africa)

Worn and torn shoes under the hostel beds, evidence of the long journeys to the lecture halls

Broken teeth, lost legs crumpled letters; they did not reach their intended destination

Sounds of laughter, smiley faces, plastic smiles, all along the crowded walkways we used each day

Broken dreams, broken hearts, suicide notes, deflated Valentine’s Day balloons all in the name of love

A graduation ground, basketball court, lecture halls named alphabetically, monkeys hopping on them.

A green quiet path leading to the farm, a stream of water, a big tree; dominating my place of peace

A medical lesson plan, nature walks, first love, friends, family; all between the pages of my journal

Lost house keys, children's smiles, economic articles, books; all passed through my hands

A guitar, a sound system, life lessons and good girls swinging to the old country music songs

My mother’s tears of joy, sounds of joy, imprints of my father’s shoes, hope; at my graduation

Four libraries, the

smell of books, the smell of smoke, stolen phone numbers, sounds of riots

A monument under the sun, well-placed seats, the campus anthem, testimonials from alumni, envelopes

Acceptance letters of students from the plains and valleys, pieces of torn green shirts on the edges of

The rugby team bench, climate assessment of the Lake Victoria region, Letters from the founders,

Work is a pleasure; for “forever we shall be shining on the varsity on the Equator”.

White socks, bottoms, stained clothes, cigarette butts; all near the hostels named after our mountains

Pieces of wall posters, political aspirants, parties, prayer groups, announcements on the walls

Teeth clenched, whispers, loud music, pictures of celebrities, graded tests; all below the entranceways

The back exit door from the boy’s hostels, girls with faces down, ruined innocence, dignity, depression.

Hope, joy, peace, success, wisdom, diversity life skills, balance; all this buried in Maseno.

Published work .Author: Celestine Ndanu.