Sound of the day

I wake to the sound of her music
The crowd chants “Jesus, Jesus”
But Jesus is only there for one of us
And I know it’s not me
Not this early
The first sound of the day
Is the screaming voice inside of my brain
Breathe in, breathe out

I break to the sound of his crying
Oh baby
Who cries as if life has already wronged him
You will learn life’s cruelties
And cry again
The second sound of the day
Is the peeved voice inside of the my brain
Breathe in, breathe out

I wait for the sound of her knock
She said she would come at ten
But will she?
At first a faithful friend
Now an unreliable helping hand
The third sound of the day
Is the pleading voice inside of my brain
Breathe in, breathe out

I walk through the sound of men
The boda drivers offering rides
And the strangers who think I don’t understand
“Helllllooo…MZUNGU…how are youuu…?”
Say all the ones with bad intentions
The fourth sound of the day
Is the hollow voice inside of my brain
Breathe in, breathe out

I speak with the sound of my voice
The accent is foreign
And I guess it sounds funny
Because the students begin to answer
In mocked tones and silent laughter
The fifth sound of the day
Is the stung voice inside of my brain
Breathe in, breathe out

I feel the sound of the evening rain
Buildings shake under the force of the wind
Pang, pang, pang
The rushing violent downpour confirms
There will be no rolex for me tonight
The sixth sound of the day
Is the rumbling voice inside of my brain
Breathe in, breathe out

I lay awake to the sound of their music
Here we go again…
The bass pulses through the air
Will sleep ever come?
Even the sheep have left me for quieter pastures
The seventh sound of the day
Is the tired voice inside of my brain
Breathe in, breathe out

And all of the sounds in between
The mangos falling from their trees
The people moving through the streets
Have together become a soundtrack
In this place I like to call “home”
The constant sound of everyday
Is the thankful voice inside of my brain
Reminding me to breathe in and out



Xoxo,
Emilia

DISCLAIMER: The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. government or the Peace Corps.

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