COCOA, TEA, & LIGHTING

The past 2 months or so have forced me to fix my sleeping pattern; being up by 4:30 am, and out of the house by 5:40 am to catch the morning bus before rowdy Nairobians bring out their cars and cause the infamous traffic jam. If you’re a traveler at these ungodly hours; that should never catch any baby girl outside; you know the matatu’s stereos are either tuned in to Classic 105 or are playing a reggae playlist. Now dearest reader, I’m not a fan of reggae and I’d describe my relationship with the genre as a love-hate kinda union.

This post, however, is to describe a song that largely contributes to the ‘love’ aspect of the relationship:

Lighting by Mortimer

I first heard this song in a nganya and to date I still do. Every single time, it sounds and feels like a warm hug, like safety, like how world peace would sound. It sounds* like a cup of hot tea in that metal cup used in sherehes in shagz, like how I’d imagine a treehouse with glass windows in a rainforest would feel. It makes me feel like a military wife who finally gets to see the love of her life after months, heck even years, of uncertainty. It sounds like sitting in a rocking chair after retirement watching the sunset like we will wake up one day saved from this ulcer-inducing, migraine triggering country with everything being fine, and we are no longer hurting. It sounds like the peace and quiet we would enjoy if Alliance alumni were to keep quiet for a week, and Manchester fans were relocated to mars.
And when I run out of words, it will still sound like a soft forehead kiss, like love.

All love to Alliance alumni, we wouldn’t have anyone to pick on if it weren’t for you.

*Sound has been used to imply the same thing as feel