Written by Sheila Kal
A man who in urgency asks,
‘Babe, teach me how to rub your clit.’
A man who, at the supermarket,
makes faces at kids
who tells jaba stories to his nieces and nephews
A man so sarcastic he sends me memes
and screenshots of politicians’ statements
not because he’s gaslighting me but because
he knows how ludicrous they can be
Like the one who went to the U.S. to deliver
her twins. Then christened them in the capital
as if her county lacks hospitals and churches
A man who fills the fridge with fried tilapia,
strawberry ice cream and caramel just because
A man who walks and runs with me at the protest
who assesses the situation and says, ‘Babe, twende home.’ (Let’s go home)
Before a bullet finds his shoulder or worse, my heart
A man who gets me rustic wooden furniture just because
A man who understands although East African,
I adore Osun
who taught me to undress and walk naked. Osun
who patted my head and heart and said it is okay
that I was born a dream interpreter, an aura reader
Osun who demands I rest when bodies become too loud
Osun who insists I walk this Earth adorned
A man who laughs and laughs and teaches me to laugh
back. I want to chortle outside
and have a laugh language where we speak
with side eyes and nods. We’ll use this across rooms
and family parties
But inside, when together, we’ll overuse our lungs
And laugh through our ages
I am looking for a sensitive, deep and funny guy
I have so much love for you
I am ready to love you forever as I’ve done before
I feel I’ve loved you an eternity and
you’re taking too long to find me on this plane
Find me sooner, babe; I miss you
So if you come across this and know
of a single, deep, funny guy
whether in Nairobi or Namibia
send him my way
About the Writer:
Sheila is a Kenyan poet, student, thinker and graduate of the 2024 Adventures Creators Programme. This series follows her reflections on life in Japan and the transformative power of travel and exploring new cultures.
