Words and guns
which yields more power?
with words,
I can create a world where guns and bullets
are like suns and droplets.
I can call into being the spirits of our forefathers,
open your eyes to a time
before the first man, before the railway lines.
For before the world was,
the word still was.
With words
I can turn the pages
to a time before the sunrise of my being,
step into worlds I have never been
touch and not feel the sting of a bee,
imagine a world that will never be
for with words,
I can create and let it be.
With words,
I can create playgrounds in concrete jungles,
where kids can touch the grass and throw marbles,
stories of heroes
gone and living,
grow boys to men,
girls to women,
for with words,
destiny will be what they set,
not what they spell.
With words on a page,
minds bow at our feet

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Njeri Wangarĩ is a Kenyan poet, writer, editor, author, and communications consultant with a career spanning over 15 years. She is the author of “Mines & Mind fields” and has been published in various regional and global publications. Njeri has performed at events such as the Kwani Festival and Tedx Nairobi. Find her on @KenyanPoet on social media or at kenyanpoet.com.

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