The days of Karichota

By Mercy Moige Mecha

The days were sultry and dusty,
Our faces were runnels and our throats parchments,
Oh what fun we had in Karichota!
Running in the lush forest
Chasing after bush babies
And splashing hurriedly in the stream
One eye on the lookout for elephants
Laughter competed with the sound of gun shots.

Picturesque sunsets,
The aroma of barbecued buffets,
Perspiration and smoke,
Whiff of wild flowers,
Crackling grass,
The whisper of the misty mountain
Silence.

In the mornings the chill made our fingers swell,
Noses blocked and chests whizzed,
Our imagination was stirred
Then ink in our pens froze
We read and communed with the song bird
Waiting for the sun to arise.

In the night we curled together,
Near flames so dear
Expelling conundrums at will
Plucking surprises from fruit filled baskets
As elephants screamed for salt,
A small stream that whispered its own name-Karichota,
Stealthily flowed in the valley below.

Talented Northampton based writer and poet Mercy Moige Mecha is part of the Northampton Writers group and on the way to having her short stories and some of her poetry published in their literary journal. This  September she will be pursuing Writing for Children(MA) at Winchester University.