A moment of panic, a moment of shock…a moment of…
What could I call it?
…What could I call it?
Confusion, memories, tears, fear, regrets, wishes, prayer…
All crammed in a second…
All crammed in a second…
Bodies…around me…
And then I look at the face…
Of this person…
As they raise their gun, and raise it at me
Steel myself…steel myself…
And all of a sudden, I mean…I couldn’t, really couldn’t explain it to you—
Calm…I felt calm…
I remembered where I came from
And I remembered what I stood for
And I knew it was worthy
What would my Kenya make of this?
And the answer, clear as daylight…
My Kenya would uphold its dignity…
My Kenya would enforce justice by law—and not justice by man…true justice
My Kenya would use my death, and the death of these around me…
To come together…
To beautifully come together…
In warm embraces and reassuring glances…
Holding hands in togetherness…
Comforting…comforting each other… in a glorious display of grace…
As I feel—feel the pain…as I feel….feel the blast through my chest,
I know I die a worthy death
If this will serve to reignite the Kenyan flame of peace, love and unity…
If my people would forget themselves and their differences and come together as one—due to my death?
Gladly…gladly I would leave for so great a feat
I think of my daughter and her smile
I think of my wife Adut and her eyes
I think of my Kenya and her life
Liveliness, cheer, hope, excitement…Kenya
And I hope, hope against hope,
That my Kenya would not take my death to fuel its anger against everyone who looks like this person who kills me now
That my Kenya would keep what it has that sets it a mark above its enemies—
Peace…love…unity
And as I think upon these things
As I think about the strength, and the beauty and passion of such a people as I am proud to be a part of…
I…I close my eyes…
And know my wife Adut, and my daughter, and my people…
Are in good hands…
The hands of my Kenya
Black…red…white…green…
Kenya…make me proud.
Stephanie Wanga (19)
sedcontra.com.ar 