I once helped my father write his memoirs
day after day I sat and listened
while he related cause and effect
intent and coincidence
Hearing someone tell his life
seeing him as he is
the hero of his own story
it is impossible to make a single judgement
It’s a most important thing
to understand my father’s life
to know that it affected me profoundly
but that it is and always was his
To let go of him as a father
as just a father
and fully embrace him
as a human being
To know that
while my life has its own shape
I am very much
my father’s son
Nairobi
August, 2003