Thursday, March 28, 2024

THE SLANDERER


THE SLANDERER 

ABOUT THE BLOGGER 
Rev. Dr. James Mbotela Syomuti, ThD, DD, PhD, is a Kenyan citizen and he lives in Kitui County, near Kitui Town. He is married to Anna and they have been blessed with six children, (four sons and two daughters.) All of their children are now adults and some of them are married. He is a pastor, a teacher, an artist, a writer of fiction and nonfiction, a poet, a humorist and he is also a prolific personal blogger (https://syomuti.blogspot.com). He has a deep passion for writing content. So far, he has written and published some ebooks with Smashwords Publishing Platform in USA. His published titles are; (1) The Maid (2) The Moving Mouth (3) The Virgin (4) The Drunkard. (5) The Soliloquist (One), (6) The Soliloquist (Two). (7) The Stranger & Other Poems. You can access the above books by visiting his site on the internet, by clicking https://syomuti.com He has taught students at different Secondary Schools in his home county for many years down the line. He is an approved Bible Skills Institute (BSI) trainer, a theological program of Every Home for Christ International, (HeadquartersThe Jericho Center, Colorado Springs, COUSA). He teaches church adults theological courses. On top of that, he teaches adults (physically), English Language. He is a born again Christian, a pastor and the Founder/Bishop of Siloam Worship Center International Ministries. You can access the church details online, by just writing and clicking the above underlined name, on the internet. He is an itinerant preacher, a radio preacher and a teacher of the Word of God. He has several certificates and diplomas in theology, from national and international Bible Schools. He has a certificate in Spiritual Life Development from Northwestern Christian University, in USA. Above all, he has honorary doctorate degrees of Doctor of Humanity (DH) and Doctor of Theology (ThD) from Prixton Church & University, in USA. He also has a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Ministry Science, and honorary doctorate degrees of;Doctor of Achievement in Ministry Science, Master of Arts (MA) in Ministry Science, Doctor of Divinity (DD) in Ministry Science and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Ministry Science, from Abide University, in USA.
THE SLANDERER 
Jacinta of Kawungu village,
why did you traverse your village,
spreading false reports about Priscilla’s mother?
You spread your unfounded rumors,
that Priscilla’s mother is a witch.
Jacinta of Kawungu village,
you have tarnished the name of Priscilla’s mother,
through your rumor mongering.
Everybody in that village is now scared, of that innocent woman.
Jacinta of Kawungu village,
what did you think you would gain,
by slandering the name of Priscilla’s mother?
You will not run away with it.
Shame on you and take note,
that your days are numbered.
Nowadays, Priscilla’s mother  avoids public gatherings, because she has been psychologically disturbed and demeaned, since Jacinta implicated her with sorcery.
Who will now repair the damage,
that Jacinta of Kawungu village,
has caused to Priscilla’s mother?
THE  DOWNPOUR 
Where is Regina’s mother?
Tell her to come running!
Tell her to carry her gourds and buckets. Tell her to come with a calabash or a bowl.
At long last, we have a downpour.
Who could have thought of this miracle? For the last three years,
our land has been completely dry and parched.
Our hearts have been frail and demoralized. At long last,
our Creator has remembered us.
We have a real downpour.
Listen to the roaring, and the deafening sound of water,
as it flows forcefully,
at Kawisi River.
Look at the way the great torrents are sweeping the denuded land and the top soil.
Look at the way the tree logs and the dry leaves are being gathered by the powerful torrents,
from Mukesa’s farm.
Where is Jedidah’s aunt?
Where is Joseph’s brother?
Tell them to come here quickly.
Tell them to come with basins and buckets.
It is now time for us to rejoice.
Let us fill the containers with water,
before the downpour ceases.
Look at the way the chickens
are chasing and feeding on the termites.
Surely, it is long since we saw termites. This downpour has  enlivened us greatly. Our God has remembered us.
Look at the way Mwikali’s dog is wagging its tail, as a sign of appreciation, as it feeds on the termites. Look at the way Sabina’s emaciated calf, is jumping to register its appreciation of the downpour.
Where are Justina and Rebecca?
Tell them to hurry up and bring the containers, before the downpour ceases.
Today and tomorrow, we shall not go to Kawisi River, to fetch water.
Be careful Philomena and Monica,
as you walk to your school, lest you slide and fall.
The ground is slippery and muddy,
because of the sudden downpour.
When Scholastica comes, tell her not to go to the river to fetch water today.
At long last, our Creator has remembered and blessed us,
with a rare and a real downpour.
Dear folk, who could have envisioned such a miracle?
THE DREADED WITCH 
Wayua’s mother is a very wicked woman. She rouses herself everyday at dawn and
 walks stealthily and gingerly,
towards Mulingwa’s grave.
As she tiptoes fearfully and suspiciously, she changes her movement and sprints frantically,
like Mwiisiwa’s donkey.
Wayua my friend, why does your mother practice deep sorcery,
on Mulingwa’s grave?
Your mother swirls and whimpers persistently, as she dances and jumps over the grave, quite oblivious of any incognito spectator.
She strips herself naked,
after performing her detestable abomination. Wayua’s mother is a dreaded village witch.
People in our village say that any time she points at a tree, it withers instantly!
When Wavinya’s child died
after a prolonged illness, the villagers buried it near Waeni’s homestead. Word had it that Wayua’s mother was spotted naked, one particular night,
near the child’s grave.
It was said that the witch woman was heard whistling in a low tone.
It was also reported that she was seen exhuming the child’s remains from the grave, using a spade.
These days, everybody in our village is completely perturbed,
because of the evil practices of Wayua’s mother.
Oh Wakwota, our village elder,
what can we do now to this witch woman? 
Wayua’s mother, you are a real witch and a menace in our village,
but your days are numbered!
MY BELOVED TEACHERS 
To you all, my beloved and diligent teachers, I salute you with awe,
wherever you may be residing, in this crooked world.
I am a true beneficiary, of your unfathomable devotion. You sincerely devoted all your valuable time and energy in molding me,
to be what I am today.
You persevered all my folly and my inability to grasp and understand knowledge. You imparted all the knowledge that you had, into my limited and confused mind.
You did not lose your patience towards me, despite my forgetfulness and timidity.
You invested all your invaluable mental fortunes, into my early childhood life, to ensure that in the days to come, I would be somebody resourceful,
who can stand up to be counted,
when it comes to the issues of intelligence and tangible contribution, to the demanding needs of our wounded and bleeding economy, of our beloved nation.
I salute you with deep awe, my mathematics teacher. I recall the way you whipped our backs, with your painful bamboo stick. Your aim was to sharpen our minds,
as far as the mental addition of odd numbers was concerned.
I now recall vividly, the way your bamboo stick whizzed and landed
heavily and painfully on our backs.
We would sweat and writhe uncomfortably, as the pain of your stick diffused into the inner cores,
of our frail bodies.
ON THE RIVER BANK
On the bank of Mutendea river,
there lived an old man, who only wore a pair of dirty shorts.
He lived in a dark cave on the river bank. Nobody knew the exact origin of that old man.
People in our village wondered, and had many unanswered questions,
concerning the origin of the old man. His head was completely covered with grey hair.
He had protruding big and red eyes.
His earlobes were thick and pierced. He had a hairy chest and a big belly. He had brown teeth.
One would think that he had coated the teeth with rust.
The old man used to hunt rats, squirrels and snakes! Every time he had a successful hunting, he would make a fire on top of the rock,
which was adjacent to the river.
During the occasions when we went to the river to swim,
many a time we spotted the old man, busy roasting his game.
We never went near the rock,
because we were afraid of the man.
The old man was a reclusive,
whose origin and family background, could not be traced even by the older folk in our village In most cases, we were frightened and we ran away from the old man,
when he emerged from his cave holding very big snakes.
We would then stand at a distance and watch the old man, as he roasted the dead snakes on the rock.
THE COMEDIAN 
During our school days,
Sylvester Mulolwa was a real comedian. He would dress in funny clothes and visit almost every hostel of our college.
He would tiptoe and sprint, as he traversed the college compound,
singing amusing songs.
He would at times speak in a feminine voice. His colleagues would laugh hilariously. Sylvester Mulolwa sometimes imitated
the voice of a parrot in his class,
when every student was quiet and busy studying.
The attention of the busy students,
would be drawn and they would laugh uncontrollably. At other times, Sylvester Mulolwa would crow like a cock very early in the morning.
The entire college fraternity,
would burst into laughter.
Sylvester Mulolwa was an exceptional college clown.
All the college tutors knew him,
and enjoyed his natural style of comedy. At other times, Sylvester Mulolwa would enter a classroom,
dressed in the attire of the college principal, and lecture vehemently to the students, imitating the Principal’s voice. During the night, when every student was fast asleep, Sylvester Mulolwa would wake up and run round the dormitories, crying like a baby.
During the occasions when the students had meetings to deliberate on important issues in the college hall, Sylvester Mulolwa would bray like a donkey, in the course of the meeting.
The braying would disrupt the meeting and make everybody laugh joyfully. Oh Sylvester Mulolwa, our college days comedian, where on earth are you these days? I miss your jesting very much.
You can contact me through; Email:syomuti@gmail.com or jambsy@yahoo.com 
Mobile:+254724649652 or +254718776259 
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/jamesmbotela.syomuti.7 Twitter:https://twitter.com/jambsy@yahoo.com 
Website:https://syomuti.com 
Blog:https://syomuti.blogspot.com

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