Father And His Daughter Poem by Job Ombati

The match was perfect:
social standing—good;
education—adequate;
bank safe—secure.
So thought the father—then.

But, as if
out of a bad movie scene,
she emerged,
just two years later,
with real bruises.

Her smile
when it came,
was short
and
disturbing.
As if forced.
As if learning to smile—
once more—
after many betrayals,
after many disappointments.

© Poems for Humanity
[Saturday,18 April 2026; 7: 10 p.m. - Nairobi]