The early shepherd

Bark sandals strapped with lianas
A cow-hide cloak full of furs
Knotted at one shoulder
A goat skin of a head gear

Thin claw-like hands, dry and flaky
Holding a staff from a Mutundu Tree
Across the shoulders behind the neck
Which is thin and mottled
With a hook for holding onto when the body tire

Through the bush he guards the goats
Cows and sheep that are his life-holds
Frequent whacks ensure no damage
For the huge maize plantations’ sake

Through the morning mist he walks
Trotting here and there to keep them
In bundles
So that they do not get carried away
Into the grim forests

They are the first creatures to
Wipe the dew from grass
In the Great Plains that dot the Kikuyu
Countryside
Before the sun shows off its grin in the distant hills
And the lions wake to tempt their
Chance at the herds

When the grass is greener…..
Before the sun bakes them browner!

 © GIDRAF MWANGI