This poem is a gathering of my thoughts following the recent Kenyan elections. Fear, frustration, division, celebrations, calls for peace so that we can “move on”, move on to what? It is not about the elections, this is an inevitable expression of what we have ignored or suppressed over a long period of time.
***
a history, erased
sounds of vuvuzelas drown echoes of the past
commissioner’s seal blots out history’s ink
grief is indeed a luxury
history begins here
every action, word
every thought, memory
creates my history
while you create yours
but
which one of our histories will survive
which one shall be suppressed?
don’t look back, nothing to see
move on
move on
you, move out!
move on
“life goes on”
(but somewhere it must reach)
you are a people without history
stick to your geography
boundaries were not sketched without reason
the kind of anger that is visible
a fire that scathes skin
and the kind of anger that simmers silently
filtering through each pore,
unseen
erase
erase
erase
what will remain
shall be your history
***
But, we shall heal….
SONYA KASSAM 
! Dear Sonya,
I accord with Bob…very powerful.
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Thank you!
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! Dear Sonya,
I fit in with Bob…very herculean.
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Thank you so much.
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Great thanks
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Sigh! Equally applicable to India, too…
You say it so well, Sonya!
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Double sigh…
Thank you for appreciating, Kunal.
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Well written ……so very captivating!!
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Thanks so much!
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which one of our histories will survive
which one shall be suppressed?
— what beautiful lines.
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Grateful for your thoughts.
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It’s a sad world these days, there is turmoil in most places. When will all this stop, or will it go on forever.
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Well, although nothing can last forever, there is certainly a disturbing phase that we are experiencing the world over. And this is the time we get to see the few stars that keep shining no matter how dark it gets. Perhaps we can just get to learn from them.
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Dear Sonya,
I agree with Bob…very powerful.
All good wishes,
robert
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Thanks Robert. Wasn’t easy to write.
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Very powerful. Well said.
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Thanks, Bob.
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