Simple Sheng: Slang, Diaspora and Ever New Deviations

Sheng

Voices from Nairobi
“ Niaje, msee?” breaks silence,
Patois in the veins.

Slang spins my head round,
“Poa?” — a sound never heard,
Coolness in one word.

“Yes, I!” echoes deep,
“Yebo!” binds a hidden chord,
Diaspora threads.

Tongues intertwining —
Swahili, English, Kikuyu,
A feast of voices.

Not just new phrases,
But states of mind, ancient roots,
Structures unfolding.

I try “Sema, bro?”
Friends laugh at my strange accent,
Still, they feel the try.

From Kibera’s beats
To Manchester’s rainy streets,
Pressure ni mingi.

A bewildered-looking lord of the manor in 18th-century attire stands in front of his grand estate, with a quizzical expression on his face.