Empire state of Mind???

I got carried away listening to the lyrics of the Empire State of mind
All I could imagine was being in a town where street lights inspire me
Concrete jungle…. Where dreams are made of… not broken
Mountain peaks of expectations and no pits of disappointments
Nairobi… catch me before I wake

I got carried away listening to the lyrics of the Empire state of mind
Dreaming of streets which make one feel brand new
Not ones which chase you with the stench of urine… creepy down town
Mean streets which torture even the bravest of hearts
Lined up street families that make you ask yourself
“What is wrong with humanity?”
Nairobi… walk silently I don’t want to wake

I got carried away listening to the lyrics of the Empire state of mind
Thinking of streets that show you that there is nothing you cannot do
Not ones that as you, “What have you done?”
Yet all that sweat, those papers of recommendations, those workshops certificates and paper diplomas and degrees mean nothing; If you do not know anyone
Nairobi mama… yawa
This beautiful dream… without you in it
Without your mean sons and daughters who like vipers puff their ferns as they stock their kill
In hearts lie wall masks of tribalism waiting for a call to action
Where the question where are you from means, from which tribe are you?
Mama help us… gently… because I don’t want to wake

I got carried away listening to the Empire state of mind
I would like to stick in this illusive world
Where stars rotate around the earth… and paint the face of God smiling down
Where waterfalls touch the sky and sweet fruits grow on grass too
Indeed no place in the world can compare!!!


© Namatsi Lukoye