A POEM FOR DOWRY!
So dear Mother In Law
I write to you directly because your daughter tells me my Father in law is late
See, my name is Stylle Mundalo
A son of limitless hope, limitlessly living , hopefully driven
Looking at life as if we are brothers
But being slapped by the same life as if there's nothing brotherly in our relationship
It's been hard mama, days have been hard
And some days even voluntarily playing nights
At some point in time I have given up
But that's not something I can tell you
Not even something I can talk about, not even write about
See, mama, sometimes I just get hold of life and decide to have a one on one
But times with no count, life has proved too busy for me
So dear Mother in Law
Would you take a poem for Dowry?
See, it's not been easy
Your daughter still loves me the way I am
I have tried convincing her to let me be
But she insists I am the one to take onto her days of forever
Men with Cars and cash are willing to pay me to get hold of your daughter
But your daughter just can't let me be
It's a struggle mama, the last time I checked my certificate still employment couldn't look at me in the eye
Even my cat business doesn't work at all
I put up a small kiosk that was later burned down because politics couldn't let us be
Politics couldn't just let my mother be
And that day she had visited me in the city
She had to sleep in the kiosk, am afraid she went with the smoke
This days I look at her grave and wish we could remain united if not for anything, then for my mother
So dear mother in law, I have nothing to offer
Would you take a poem for Dowry?
See, my father is struggling
His brick business is not even paying at all
The last time he burned bricks, he just didn't have enough firewood
And nothing came out of it
I had to keep sending him the little penny from the city
See, the old man cannot even raise money to feed himself
He pretends to be strong but he cries when alone
Mother died with her business, this days no one shows up at home to buy groundnuts
It's being a tough life, given an opportunity
I would call myself, a son of forsaken days
But your daughter still insists I make her my wife
So dear mother in law
Would you take a poem for Dowry?
Your daughter knows my struggles, she knows my pains
She understands my cry and knows that daily I try
Am sorry but she pays for the house we live in
Am sorry if I am not hardworking enough but I try
I sell water, but not good enough to manage paying Dowry
The little I get my uncles are on my neck
I cannot ignore them, they are just them, my uncles!
They help my father in the brick business and when the old man falls ill they are always with him
So dear Mother in law
Would you take a poem for Dowry?
Your daughter has been with me in times life gave me no reason not to abandon it
She has held my hand, walked my path and cried my way
She has wiped my tears and gave me a reason to push
Maybe, just maybe, my better days are right ahead
Poetry Is all I have
Just find a cow in each of my lines
And milk my stanzas if at all you can
Dear Mama,
Would you take a poem for Dowry?