THE SMELL OF HOME

By Charity Kuria

The smell of home,

Mama singing,

A warm cup of tea with arrowroots,

Sweet aroma shifting from the cooking pot,

Its home.

The smell of home,

The light shines through the open window,

A cool breeze blows into the living room,

Smoke escapes from the kitchen roof into the blue sky,

Its home.

The smell of home,

The bleating of goats, the crowing cockerel,

Chirping birds, buzzing insects,

Feeding the chickens and goats,

Its home.

The smell of home,

Clean air feeding my lungs

Clean water from the springs,

Eating fresh spinach, fresh fruit from the farm,

Its home.

The smell of home,

The smell of cattle dung, of smoke and of lighting jiko,

The very green bushes, trees and flowers,

Aesthetic beauty,

Its home.