LEISURE: POETRY

Building the Nation By Henry Barlow


Today I did my share 
In building the Nation.
I drove a permanent Secretary
To an important urgent function
In fact to a luncheon at the vic.


The menu reflected its importance
cold Bell beer with small talk, 
Then fried chicken with niceties
Wine to fill the hollowness of laughs
Ice- cream to cover the stereotype jokes
Coffee to keep the PS awake on return journey


I drove the permanent secretary back.
He yawned man times in the back of the car.
Then to keep awake, he suddenly asked,
Did you have any lunch friend?
I replied looking straight ahead
And secretly smiling at his belated concern
That I had not, but was slimming!


Upon which he said with a seriousness
That amused more than annoyed me,
Mwananchi, I too had none!
I attended to matters of state.
Highly delicate diplomatic duties you know
And friend, it goes against my grain,
Causes me stomach ulcers and wind.
Ah, he continued, yawning again,
The pains we suffer in building the nation!


So the PS  had ulcers too!
My ulcers I think are equally painful 
only they are caused by hunger,
Not sumptuous lunches!


So two nation builders 
Arrived home this evening 
with terrible stomach pains
The result of building the nation 
Different ways.


This poem well articulates the characteristics of not politicians alone, but also some powerful people in an organisation. It captures the proximity especially in our country and what a regrettable gesture by the said leaders. Basically the reason behind having such a forum in this blog is about weeding our society and our lives. Every moment we are going to mention a vice in this segment, I it would be very noble for you as an individual as well to recheck your life and correct the malice within your area of life.  The said issues in this poem cuts across our lives and we have no option but to reconsider the moves we make in our daily life.


Consider this:

1. Supposing you're the PS and one day you discover that your subjects are so dissolution ed with your habits, what will you do?
2. I don't want to ask you about who is the persona, rather I would like you to tell me the lessons that this poem , building the nation has on you as an individual.
3. How can we eradicate the highlighted vices in: (a) our lives, (b) our society, (c) our country?
4. Suggest one way you as an individual can deploy deploy to build this nation positively.