THE DISTANT ECHOES
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 DISTANT ECHOES
I am sitting here comfortably,
swinging my legs this way and that way. I am very keen and concerned,
about the distant echoes of life,
that pierce my ears with great intensity.
I don’t understand, and I cannot tell,
where those confusing echoes,
come from. It only occurs to me that the echoes come from a far distance.
The distant echoes which I hear,
are quite intriguing. I am not used to voices, and echoes which are so perplexing. I need somebody who can interpret for me, the meaning of those distant echoes.
As I sit here, wondering and thinking about the meaning of life,
I hear disturbing echoes,
reaching my ears from a far distance. As I sit here, I am in a state of total confusion.
I am swinging my legs this way and that way. I am waiting for somebody, anybody who understands and can interpret,
the meaning of these funny voices,
the distant echoes that reach my ears from unknown places.
I am not at ease. My heart is disturbed. I hear strange voices,
at night when I am asleep.When I am in deep sleep at night,
I hear distant echoes
of strange voices,
in a far distance.
Can anybody tell me,
where these voices come from?
Can anybody tell me, how I can stop these frightening echoes,
from reaching my ears?
MY HEART LAMENTS
My heart laments and sobs bitterly,
when I look at the crop in the fields.
It has utterly been scorched by the sun. There seems to be no apparent hope now.
Yes, I say there is no hope of getting any yield. The dry wind blows strongly and persistently,
making the surrounding trees sway,
this way and that way. The clear blue sky, cannot be depended upon,
to yield any promising clouds.
The birds in the trees are still singing, and raffling their feathers,
quite oblivious, of the impending famine.
The truck driver continues, to harvest sand from the river, and transports it to the building site,
but he does not care. What will his children eat, in the next two weeks
when famine strikes?
The noise of the village drunkards,
has not ceased, even though they are aware, of the impending famine. My heart laments when I envision, the great loss which the farmers will incur, due to the imminent crop failure. Is there anybody around who may be sympathetic, to console and give the farmers, a flicker of hope and continuity?
The normal life routine,
has now been adversely affected
and no one can foretell, the outcome of this devastating and encroaching calamity. All the hopes, which the local farmers had nursed, have been completely shattered.
Everything seems to have lost its grip. The people who do the business of barbequing maize at the market, have totally nothing which they can depend upon.
My heart laments and sobs bitterly,
because all the expectations of the farmers, and business community,
have been completely destroyed.
I WAS NOT HAPPY
I was not happy, when Dormitila’s daughter died. I did not sleep,
throughout the night. The bad news about that young girl’s death,
haunted me persistently.
When I recall the way the village folk wrapped the emaciated corpse
of the dead girl, I feel very much offended and disgusted.
They wrapped her body with an old tattered blanket. They should have at least bought a new blanket,
to cover her body. When I recall the way they dug a shallow crooked grave, I become quite disturbed.
When I recall the way they conducted the funeral ceremony so casually and hurriedly,I become excessively upset.
They should have at least accorded her, a decent and proper burial.
When I recall the way they deserted Dormitila, in a state of loneliness,
after the funeral ceremony,
I wonder why on earth, some people choose to be so inconsiderate.
I was not happy, when the village headman did not, attend the funeral ceremony. I was not happy when the village clown, Sylvester Mulolwa attended the funeral ceremony, when he was totally drank.
I was not happy, when I got a reliable report from a close friend,
who told me that some unknown people, killed Dormitila’s black dog,
during the night, on that day when her daughter was buried.
THE INDISPENSABLE THING
This indispensable thing really startles me. It makes many people
within my locality, spend sleepless nights. Some other people don’t even sleep. They move up and down tirelessly, looking for this indispensable thing.
Everybody is busy looking for it. They say the thing is indispensable.
Without it, nothing can be accomplished.
Without it, nothing can be achieved.
Without it, we cannot feed well.
Without it,we can’t live in decent houses.
Without it, our children cannot get sound education. This thing has become an issue of grave concern.
Without it, they cannot allow me to travel to my work place.
When I go to church, in my attempt at least to get a short-lived escapism, they start talking about the thing. This thing has become a refrain everywhere. Everybody is talking about it. Parents are talking about it.
Children are talking about it. Church ministers are talking about it. Professors are talking about it.
Musicians are talking about it.
Government officials are talking about it.
Politicians are talking about it.
School teachers are talking about it. They have even threatened to go on strike, if the government of the day, will not honor their demands,
by giving them this thing,
without any undue reservation.
This indispensable thing has no substitute. Whether you like it or not, you need it for one reason or another.
Without it, everything in your life
is completely crippled. Without it,
you can’t stand up to be counted,
in the assembly of the decision makers, even if you are wise.
IF I HAD WINGS
If I had wings like a dove or eagle,
I would fly from this wicked village.
I would flee,from the wicked things that I see. I would flee from the obscene talk, that I hear. If I had wings like a dove or an eagle,
I would raffle my wings in haste,
and soar high, to heights of calm and rest.
I would locate a place somewhere,
where I would reside. My heart is indeed in a state of agony. I am tired of the boring and conventional lifestyle. If I had wings like a dove or an eagle, I would fly and go far away, even if it is in a solitary haven.
I would fly to a quiet place, of my own choice, a haven of real peace and tranquility. If I had wings like a dove or an eagle, I would hastily fly away, and depart from this wicked village.
I would flee from the notorious witches, who bewitch the innocent children. I would depart from the weird sights, of the village sorcerers who stalk boldly,
during the watches of the night,
traversing and chanting their wicked slogans. If I had wings like a dove or an eagle, I would fly away,
from this village which is full of treacherous people.
I would go to a place of real rest,
and forget about the village thugs,
who break into people’s houses at night, to inflict harm and steal property. If I had wings like a dove or an eagle, I would fly away from this village, without alerting anybody.
I would no longer be in the midst,
of the village busybodies, who lurk in the entire village, from dawn to dusk,fabricating falsehood and slandering the names of their neighbors.
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
