Uncategorized – The Book Neighbourhood

they didn’t tell the new mom

how did they miss

to tell her this one thing

that the distance between

her child bearing hips

would qualify as the abyss

of relentless accusations

of letting herself go and be

as undesirable as they claim she is

they’ve should sent honest speech

in tones unhidden

without codes and secrets

that the stretch of her bosom

that nurtures and feeds

would be a mat to wipe off jokes

about how undesirable they are to see

they should’ve said in simple terms

that this body of hers

in its shifts to accommodate

these gestational miracles

would be a playground of derisions

perhaps they should’ve clarified

that to tear the stitches of her back

to loosen her bones

to retch and heave

would be so offensive

then maybe she’d have

left it all untouched, unused

then all these bastards

with their louds mouths

wouldn’t have been born

in the first place

My Writing/Reading Spots: The Arbor

“I said, but I have to go, there are so many places calling my name.”
― Nikki Rowe

Right next to James Gichuru, yet it feels so far from it.

It’s hard to imagine anywhere close to Waiyaki Way being described as tranquil. Yet, just behind the forever busy highway, on the corner of the quiet Manyani E Road, is a tranquil restaurant. The Arbor, which recently moved from James Gichuru to its current place, is better, more open, and spaced out.

The entrance is marked by Aromatics Spa, and as you walk further down you find yourself surrounded by high, large trees and enwrapping peace. They now have a bar, which they didn’t have at the old place and around it is indoor seating, which is also new.

There’s a little play area for kids and you can sit close-by where you can keep an eye on them. Far down is an abundance of more trees and a spectacular view of Nairobi’s burst of greenery. A sunny day doesn’t go to waste here. You can enjoy a lovely meal and enjoy a breeze under the trees or kiss from the sun.

You can sit quietly by yourself and enjoy a cup of coffee, read or work. You can also get together with friends for a celebration, work meeting, whatever the occasion. The setting is organised well enough to give each table its privacy.

It’s pleasant, relaxing and a cool little place to escape to for some bit of calm.

The Arbor/Arbor Place, Aromatics Spa, 101 Manyani E Road, Nairobi

IG: @thearborltd

A Very Easy Death by Simone de Beauvoir

A Very Easy Death is a poignant day-to-day account of her mother’s last weeks on her deathbed. Simone de Beauvoir writes honestly and compassionately about the race between pain and death that her mother goes through.

After a fall, a fracture of the neck of the femur is diagnosed. With more problems arising they finally discover cancer. At 78, Mme de Beauvoir has been widowed for more than twenty years and has two daughters.

From what seemed to be nothing to serious, Mme de Beauvoir’s body sinks into a devastating hole of rapidly deteriorating health. The doctors’ efforts to keep her alive through surgery and medication seem cruel than helpful, as her mother’s suffering intensifies. Simone bears witness to all these moments of how the illness tortures her mother.

“For the first time I saw her as a dead body under suspended sentence.”

This raw story really shows the tragedy of dying and how worse it is to be dying than death itself. It also shows how lonely death can be, and how helpless the ones close to the dying person can be. The false hopes and the witnessing of pain and death playing a brutal game of tug-of-war. De Beauvoir records her despair, one greater than she had felt when her father and other family members died.

“Death itself does not frighten me; it is the jump I am afraid of.”

It’s intelligently written, as one would expect nothing less from Simone de Beauvoir. It’s brief and powerful, moving, and shocking. Beautiful and tragic at the same time.