An evening in Nairobi.

Music is like the ultimate lover. For me,anyway,music takes me to a near orgasmic level,ever-shifting in its ability to make me feel…anything. It teases. It pleads. It loves. It laughs. It draws you in. It transcends emotion,and makes you feel like heaven must be,just,music.

I haven’t had earphones for a while. I finally bought some yesterday,and they DIDN’T FIT. So Mr. M. went and got them exchanged for me. The first song I heard after millenia (so it seemed) of silence was

boy,oh boy
I’m not your substitute lover
oh no

Music to my ears. In my ears. Literally.

Chilled with the girls for a bit before going to open-MY FIRST!!-bank account. Then I went and bought ice-cream,because I felt the need to defy the weather. I put on one of my playlists and the first song was a classic favorite of mine:

gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
there’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rain down in Africa
gonna take some time to do the things we never had

This song made of start dancing in the street. I was singing,flinging my hands about and stuff. That was right about I&M. Then

concrete jungle where dreams are made of
there’s nothing you can’t do
these streets will make you feel brand new
these lights will inspire you

checked in on the corner of Kenyatta Avenue and Kimathi Street. I stood,and beheld this dangerous,beautiful city I call home. It looked fantastic with the lights; @truthslinger’s blog came to mind,and @ArcherMishale’s random twitpic of Kimathi Street at night. It was…transcendent,possibly because music was playing in my ear.

we’re gonna huff and puff and blow the house down
tunacome na mastylez hazijaonekana uh uh
chukua dakika kama tano ukitema zima moto juu tumeshika nare

I crossed the road to get to my stage. There was a beggar lady there. Something’s happened to her head. She has no hair,possibly because of the fact that her entire scalp is painfully burnt. I walked by her,then because I was feeling a tad guilty about being so happy,I backtracked and dropped a ten bob in the little plastic container next to her. I wonder if the kid is really hers? I wonder if she is surprised at who gives her money-the well-dressed,the oblivious,the young,the old,the equally unfortunate? I wonder if she doesn’t care,because all she’s thinking about the bigger picture,as opposed to what the girl in shorts and earphones is thinking.

I chime in with a haven’t you people ever heard of
closing the * door?
It’s much better to face these kinds of things
with a sense of poise and rationality

I wonder if my fart will sound louder than it actually is because I’m wearing earphones. The conductors at my stage are arguing about where the mbao is going to go. I watch them nearly clobber each other,then start making jokes about it. A plane passes overhead,uncomfortably close as always.

everybody come equipped with bangers
throwin up their middle fingers
and you know I don’t slip so I gotta keep
ten in the clip and one in the chamber

The condi is looking at me badly because I’m surprised at the 50 bob these falas have started charging. He says ‘Si nilikuambia kwa stage?’ I say ‘Si ati nimekataa kulipa.’ I put them back on and watch others complain.

we be moving on up
to the East side
finally got a piece of the pie

As I’m getting off the jav,I notice a phone in the conductor’s seat. I ask the guy who got off before me,simu ya nani? He shrugs. The conductor takes it,saying Mwenyewe akipigia,nitaongea na yeye. On second thought,maybe I should have taken it. I freak out as a motorbike whizzes past me.

This is a gift
it comes with a price
blue is the love and
blue is the night
Midas is King,and he holds me so tight
and turns me to gold in the sunlight

I stand in the parking lot,finishing this post,not wanting to go inside before it’s done. My phone is acting up. An old jumpoff of mine drives in to pick up a new squeeze. He gets out,hugs me. We say we’ll talk later. I get into the house.

we raise it up
this offering
we raise it up

tSN

7 thoughts on “An evening in Nairobi.

  1. Interesting how similar our taste in music is… Earphones are the most glorious of contraptions don't you agree? Haven't had mine for a while itching for the day I buy a new pair 🙂

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