The clan leaders sit in the front row

Some puffing on their pipes

And the lesser fathers behind them

The only group of people

With none bare footed

But all wearing

Sandals made of hide and skin

Waiting to see what goes on next

Torn between the dowry

Their daughters will earn them

Or what their sons will pay

But most of all

What it will cost them

To get a new younger wife

To add on the numerous numbers

That they already have.

On the other side,

Ladies are seated on mats

Bosoms clad in shawls

Covering their sagging breasts

Not thinking much about

What the daughters might fetch

Or the kind of new co wives

They are about to attain

Nor the kind of wives

Their sons might get

But the time it will all be over

So that they can go back

And attend to their chores.

The male youth,

All seeking for female counter parts

Are spread all over

Standing in groups

Eagerly enjoying

What the girls are flaunting.

All the nubile girls

Wearing beads all over

For hands and neck laces

With naked bosoms

Wriggle around

To the sound of drums

Teasing all males

From great grand fathers

To great grand sons

With the various succulent shapes

Of the space piercing organs

That God hung on their chests.

So Olo who needs a first wife

Is there too nurturing his ambition

Accompanied by his little Brother Odero

Who wears a rug of a short

And nothing on his chest

A symbol that

He is too young to marry

But has to be there

So that when the his time comes

He knows what to do.

Olo is clad in a short

And a floral shawl

With a knot Tied on one shoulder

Living part of his bare chest and nipple

Exposed as though

To expose the might

That his chest bears.

As his peers

Puff on raw Tobacco

He gets out of his pocket

 A butt of a cigarette

That his Master had thrown

And lights it with a lighter

Yes, a lighter

A luxury of the colonial masters.

His friends look at him with envy

Not minding it that he stole the lighter

But giving a damn about the fact that

He is among the luck few

Kept as servants

To the colonial masters.

When he notices that

He has all the attention

He decides to go for the kill

Yes, to get all the attention

And emphasize the point that

He was above all his peers

He lifts his shawl

Exposing fully

His un-belted shorts

To reach the pockets

And retrieves a cigarette.

He stubs it in between his lips

and gets it lit

he then looks around

As he pockets his lighter

And puffs on his lit cigarette

Blowing a thick cloud of smoke

In the semi arid air

Fully knowing

That he has made an impact.

The dancers

In the center of the arena

Go on and on

As groups of girls come and go

Each applauded with a hand clap

Proportional to the excitement it caused

At the end of its performance.

Othieno has been standing by

Puffing on his raw tobacco

Watching two events

The performers and his peer Olo

Knowing that with his stunts

He is a big contender.

The group performing

Has got every body excited

There is this brown girl

With round fairly sized breasts

That wriggles her body

Like no one had ever done before.

Othieno makes his move

He goes to the floor

And dances with the girls

Throwing his arms around

And jumping higher than high

To show his might.

When he is through

Olo taps on little Odero

The only person accompanying him

A signal meant to imply that

“Stay here and count on me.”

Amidst the girls

He moves forth and back

Jumps up and down

Hypnotizing the girls.

When the girls come to their senses

They remember their duty

To keep the show going

So as the rest dance around them

Olo and the best of them

Dance in the middle

In a very suggesting manner

That leads every one to conclude that

They were meant for each other.

When the group is through

Among other announcements it’s said

That if Olo can foot the dowry

He can arrange to take his bride

In the shortest time possible.

He stands by his little brother

Wearing a gleeful smile

Confident that his cache

Will add to his self esteem.

He gets out his lighter and the last cigarette

Not to celebrate the conquest

Nor  to quench his thirst

But to make a statement.

How many big brother,

Did you get from your boss?

I stole three cigarettes!

No sooner had he answered the question

Than a punch from behind

Hit him on the back.

Before he turned around

The strong Othieno

Held him by his waist

Trying to wrestle him down.

Olo fought so hard,

Not for the fear of the pain,

He was so used to that

His culture

Had trained him to endure that

Like all men do

But he fought

To protect his self esteem

He could not afford

To be tagged a weakling

When he had just won him a bride.

With the strong Othieno

Holding him from the back

He remembered

That he held a tool

Which he could use for self defense.

With a simple brush

On the little black ball

His lighter was alit

Gasping for breath

Under othieno’s garb

He made a decision

To get it lit

Just to get free.

As he fled

Living a rowdy scene

With Othieno rolling on the ground

To put out the flame

The lion hearted

Little Brother

That was too weak to help

Stayed on for a while.

“If it was not

For the colonial master

Stopping the trading of humans

Olo should have been sold

But now

He has only two options

To flee his home land

Or stay and face the punishment

The punishment of death”

Concluded the clan chiefs.

Little Odero

Sought for his brother

To convey the message

But all in vain.

The next they heard.

That the body

Of the suave Olo

Had been found

In a nearby bush-village.

Little Odero,

Went back to the colonial master

From whom he had sought

Help for his big brother and hero

To seek justice.

He was whisked away

To a far land

Where he could get wisdom

To solve his people’s problems.

When he came back

Old and wise

The Othienos

Were at the helm.

“Where were you

When we fought for independence?”

They asked him

When he tried to caution them.

“Power fell

In the wrong hands

Because there was no one good enough

To take over the reigns”

He had shot back

You have never

“Been good dancers at all”

He stressed

Hitting at

Their very self esteem

That they were trying to protect.

What ever hit Odero

No one might ever know

Because he too

Never knew

That his days were nigh.

Lucky enough

He had got him a son

In the foreign land

Of the fair

 Called Odero Junior.

A son who was yet

To come and save every one

From fiends and foes

To The Kith and the kin

Bearing no grudge on any one

Yet he had a right to do so

For the life he had lived.

Indeed Junior

Is a wonder

We await the justice

And reconcilation he bringeth

So that for once and for all,

The Cloak and dugger way of life gets over