My Mother is a Fish
Two poems in celebration of a mother as a home in different aspects — from Kenyan Catherine Awino
My Mother is a Fish
My soul is a fish I pull out of dreams into life.
Home is a desert filled with vineyards and tart musing.
Ocean like above the clouds,
The connection burns like the rains with the infinite flames —
the eyes so radiant.
Fried out of the waters, in spices it is cooked
Rivers of Yimbo with inquisitive desires
Dreams in America —
Days turn grey,
The journey becomes a gamble.
How is a life without me?
My lungs deeply hurt missing the trunk nose,
butterfly ears and the crescent eyes.
The sun in its horizon
Life in the homeland, ugali with dagaa
Congested seats in the buses hens under the seats, crowing
From barefoot to dollar shoes
Decades of authority to days of victory,
The angels in the oceans, the breeze in the lands
All this makes a living soul from a fish
For soul and body is inseparable.
My country is a fish that has swallowed my mother
A soul within her is me
Love needs love
One that rekindles life.
When two souls reunite
A bond is created
A fish that has more grows into a generation.
The generation in the nation
A future in it will be
A nation to call home — one of equality but not rejection.
In the Her of Life
In the life of her
Is a generation for worlds
The light to darkness,
Reason to honour.
In the life of her
A daughter is
The pride in Nam Lolwe,
Reason to celebrate.
In the life of her
A sister
Safeguards the bonds within,
Reason to cherish.
In the life of her
A bustling plump wife
Duties are called to her,
Reason to bless.
In the life of her
A mother is she,
A proper, prioritized homestead
Reason adore.
In the life of her
A generation of
Hope building within
Reason to respect.
In the life of her
The woman, a power,
The life for all
Reason to hold onto.
Catherine Awino is a poet from Kisumu, Kenya. She is 25 years old. She enjoys writing and has a certificate in Business Management from Kenya Institute of Management. When not writing she reads novels and articles. You can connect with her on Twitter @Catheri43385942.
