The Wonder Town Council Wonder Poem by Job Ombati

Spotless, white, and clean it was when it came.
Adored and loved equally.
The minister came—
said it was adorable—
the work City Council was doing,
buying this 'wonder machine'
and many others in the high seas.
An adoring mwananchi
too took a selfie,
as she blew a kiss.

Two years and counting—
I met the truck.
The young driver now has a dirty goatee.
And the truck,
a smelly contraption.
A slimy green discharge follows it.
The minister's motorcade drives
in the opposite direction.
A young woman holds her nose.
A young man spits on the road.

© Poems for Humanity

(Friday 4, April 25: 8: 22 pm Lusaka Rd. - Nairobi)