Latest arts stories from across Kenya.
It was the morning of the day after Sebastian had left for Italy five years ago. You pull up at the airport and wait as you watch passengers file by. Your phone vibrates, it’s Sebastian telling you he is at the arrivals terminal wearing a…
Sam sat under the dancing sun of Nairobi digging for gold in his nostrils. “Hii jua ni kali eh?” Njoroge, the matatu driver, Sam’s best friend asked lazily. He was dressed in a pair of torn dusty coloured trousers, a shirt begging to…
I look down at the sticky wet mess between my legs. There was a red stain attached to my dress and I choked on a heart-wrenching sob. It was happening again. “No God! Please no…” the sharp pain in my gut overtakes my cries as it seems to…
I could feel myself shaking in righteous anger. Tony or whatever the hell he was called let out a string of curses as he touched the place on his cheek that had been hit. My hand stung with heat and I knew that if I was light skinned my…
I remember the first time I saw her. I must admit, it was not as I had pictured it. It was a hot sunny day (I could have sworn the doomsday environmentalist’s prediction had come true, no ozone layer or something like that). She was in…
My love was a poem, Written just for you. My love was a smile that lit up my face, Yet now it is the tears that run down my face. You are my heaven yet my hell. My love for you is the cross that I must bear, It wears me down, With its pain…
Green pastures, In the City in the Sun, That’s how I saw them with naive eyes, Reflections gathered from films, That made the big city so glamorous. I had a dream, That one day I would be a superstar, I would wow the audience with the…
THE REPUBLIC OF UDASA In a village on the eastern side of the country In a forest about one kilometre from the village The men had been deliberating the whole day. They had planned the operation and laid out strategies of how they would…
“Saidia maskini. Mungu ata kubariki” That’s my opening line when I see someone passing me on the street. I am a beggar, you see. I am that guy with a missing leg and a leg brace next to me. This has been my street corner for the last 5…
I must move on, I can’t live here in Heartbreak Hotel forever. I moved out of a relationship apartment, On Love Lane, In Lovers Town, To the town of bitter endings, To the heartbreak hotel which I could ill afford. A very expensive…
This is post number two in a series of two posts about being in love. Post one is my love affair. Check it out https://potentash.com/my-love-affair-1/ You can be so much fun, Take me to new levels, You give me poetry to write, You’re my…
I thought I had you but I didn’t. All those fantasies that kept me warm at night, And fueled my imagination, There were all for nought In the end, our love was like sand in the hand, Slowly slipping away through my fingers. I thought what…
Susan looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were red and puffy. Her normally well-groomed hair was shaggy. She took a sip of her glass of wine. She had been drinking since dawn. Today was supposed to be her wedding day. Right now she…
She’s got the smile, That radiates from within. It’s beautiful, Like watching the sun rise or set. Her smile’s so beautiful, Colgate would film her for a commercial in a minute, Because when she smiles, Her teeth sparkle, Like they have…
Mr Love, it’s been a ball knowing you. I enjoyed the party, I got drunk on emotions that made me do crazy things, I still have some pictures and letters as evidence, Some are so interesting I still blush until today. We danced a seductive…
I don’t understand this woman. I stare at her. She’s pretty, sweet and has a great body. But simmering behind the outward shell I see insecurities. I love her smile but it hides pain and anguish. She’s loved and lost. Fought, is fighting…
Kamau stood at the edge of the shamba waiting for Nyokabi. He was so excited and he could hardly contain himself. He whistled as in his mind he formulated his life ahead. When Nyokabi came into view he stopped whistling and watched her…
He seduced me, With flowers and perfume, Telling me that I was, The most beautiful exotic flower in bloom. He bought me chocolate, Said that I was his chocolate sweetie, Made me think that he could not breathe without me Because I was his…
Some say you must have put for me that kamuti, That our love ain’t natural. They say there are so many men out there, Why are you sticking to this particular one, and he’s so far away? They can’t explain it, why I love you, I can’t explain…
It seemed like a good idea at the time, But when I had to remove my top and bra I got shy. He was looking at me, a patient look in his eyes, So I lay down on the bed and tried to relax Trying not to think of what was to come. I wish […]
I like you, Actually, I love you. You bring out my best side. Make me laugh. When I need someone you are there. There is no one I depend on more than you. I can call you anytime I need you and you rush to my side. So when you tell me you…
I found the book in my drawer, Title: the art of understanding yourself. I wanted to laugh because I wondered when I gave up on it, On understanding myself. I buried my dreams in a grave six feet deep, Covered it with soil, wire and cement…
Kate looked across the room at Alex and Becky who were looking very happy together. She, on the other hand, had a big plastic smile that hide the hate in her heart. “Stupid bitch. She will pay for stealing my man.” At that thought, she…
Why is it that you cause me pain Yet I still cling to you? You rip my heart out And play with it like a toy, Yet for you, it still calls. I cannot understand this love That cuts me deep, Every time I think of you. I exorcize you, Like a…
