The Sun Goes Down

Clad in a dark, gloomy face, the sky frowns at us—

The sun goes down, casting crowns of shadows

Darkness sets in, suddenly swallowing up the earth

The hooting of an owl, piercing through the night

Spells the inevitable doom and gloom

Lightning strikes with furry, lighting fires in the sky

Thunder cracks a whip that tears through the atmosphere

And the curtain in the temple is torn in two

Surely, she was a good woman- a loving, caring mother

Hollowness grips our souls in a cold embrace

The loss and pain are unbearable, 

The future, grim and dim, stares and grins at us,

With a mischievous relish written all over its face

The iroko tree has fallen to the ground

Our pillar is gone and our cords are loose

We fall apart and scatter, scampering like rats

The rains come and go, children are born and named

Soon afterwards, time steals our sorrows

Even the crying stone of Khayega weeps no more

We rise to the sounds of Isukuti in the heart of the night

The ground shakes and we stump our feet in rhythm

Chants of Mulongo render the atmosphere gay with celebrations

It is the eve of circumcision festivals of the Abukusu

The fierce bulls of Ikolomani, mad with weed

Make dust off the grasses of Bukhungu stadium

The crowds cheer in maddening uproars

Flagged by Kwalwale, the bull fighter

Who can dare resist life’s enchantment,

And the magic of our native land?

The sun goes down,

Yet, it rises again in the wake of dawn-

We are swallowed in the darkness of today

Only to wake up in the sunrise of tomorrow,

With fresh dreams and aspirations

It is a new dawn, and a new life awaits,

Beckoning with promises of brighter days