Fourteen Days In Homabay Poem by Sylvia Frances Chan

Fourteen Days In Homabay

in the heat of Kenya,
and a little cooler along Lake Victoria,
the largest lake in Africa
and the second-largest freshwater lake in the world
how wonderful is that bit of coolness by the lake!

the population is extremely friendly
but the lack of money is visible

The story of the pharmacist recently:
crooks have been waiting after closing time
and killed him, then robbed the money,
the proceeds of that day,
so terrible for me here to say

a few years later his son had also become a pharmacist,
he and his mother still run the pharmacy,

after 6 o'clock in the evening, it is pitch dark
no street lighting, most know the roads here well,
the new pharmacist has become more cautious,

I only stayed there for fourteen days and yet this robbery
The house I stayed in
had a big padlock on the double door of the front door,
the guard of my house sat in his watch-house
at the entrance-gate of this area

one night there was a very loud knock on my double front door,
there stood the guard,
he desperately needed my help,
but at this late hour?
I didn't open the door
I told him to come back early tomorrow,
because I wanted to go to bed
and why so late at night?

The next day he hadn't come back
till today I have still this information-lack