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YOU ARE LOST
Isack Mruma
To you dada.⃰
it’s the
days that matter,
for we
are unable to chat
in the
language we had.
When I
look at you
and see
my pay slip
in your
eyes
I feel
empty
and
sapped.
Your
glance, sister,
is to me
the measure
of the
heat of the dough
in my
pocket.
Never are
passions cool,
to you I
am now a tool,
and all
my wage is now the fare:
I ride on
your throbbing kisses.
It is you
I accuse,
because
your love is lost,
and you
only touch me
with the
tenderness that asks
where my
wallet is.
It is to
you dada,
that my
pen tears the pad,
For I
only see your love
focused
on my purse
with your
passions
chasing my bank account
INTRODUCTION
YOU ARE
LOST is a
poem by Isack Mruma that criticises the behaviour exhibited by modern girls who
tend to hypocritically fall in love with men who have money. They pretend to
show love outwardly while inwardly their focus is placed on the money the man
has. Furthermore through the poem the poet shows that the persona is now aware
of the hypocrisy of this woman he calls *dada* - a Swahili word which means *sister*
- though not necessarily referring to a biologically related sister. In this
context the sister means his mistress. (A man’s mistress is a woman that he is
having a regular sexual relationship with and who is not his wife). He has to
take some measures to protect his money since the love he was buying is lost.
THEMATIC
ANALYSIS
HYPOCRISY
IN LOVE/UNTRUE LOVE
The kind of love portrayed in
this poem is not the true one. It is a love focused on money. This girl kisses
the man only when she notices that he has money. If the guy happens to have no
money she minds her own business, then there is no love.
Your
glance sister,
Is to me
the measure
Of the
heat of the dough
In my
pocket
The persona shows that the girl
has turned him into the tool of production or the source of income. He works
and his entire wage is claimed by the woman.
Never are
passions cool
To you I
am now a tool
And all
my wage is now the fare
I ride on
your throbbing kisses
PROTEST/CONFLICT
The man in the poem shows a sense
of protest because he has realised that his mistress is not in true love with
him. The woman’s love is focused on the money she gets. If there is no money,
there is no love. So the man is protesting against his mistress’ behaviour.
It is to
you dada
That my
pen tears the pad
For I
only see your love
Focused
on my purse (wallet)
AWARENESS
The man is aware that the woman
is only exploiting his money in the name of love. Even when she pretends to
touch him romantically, she just searches for the wallet. So the man has
realised that her love was lost a long time ago, what makes it going is money.
Here says the poet;
It is you
I accuse,
Because
your love is lost
And you
only touch me
With the
tenderness that asks
Where my
wallet is
PROSTITUTION
The woman seems to be engaged in
prostitution because her love is for sale.
She looks for people with money and has no true love. This is a very
dangerous behaviour because it exposes her to terrible sexually transmitted
diseases. The man shows that the woman is always chasing his bank account.
For I
only see your love
Focused
on my purse
With your
passions
Chasing
my bank account.
EXPLOITATION
The woman in this poem seems to
exploit the man. He works hard but all he earns goes to the woman. As he says
in the 3rd stanza
to you I
am now a tool,
and all
my wage is now the fare:
I ride on
your throbbing kisses.
GUIDING
QUESTIONS
i.
How many stanzas are there in the poem?
There are six stanzas in the poem.
ii.
What is the tone and mood of the poet?
The tone is sad and lamenting and the mood is unhappy.
iii.
What is the type of the poem?
This is a modern/freeverse poem. It does not follow
all the rules in writing poems. For example there is variation in the number
and length of verses in each stanza.
iv.
Who is the persona? How do you know?
The persona is a man. It is revealed when he complains
that the woman’s love to him is only focused on his money.
v.
Comment on the use of figures of speech.
Ø
Barbarism
To
you dada
It
is to you dada
Ø
Personification
… the tenderness
that asks where my wallet is
With your passion
chasing my bank account.
Ø Exaggeration
When I look at you and
see my pay slip in your eyes
Ø Metaphor
To you I am now a tool,
vi.
Comment on the rhyming scheme.
The poem has irregular rhyming patterns with exception
of only two lines that seem to rhyme. Lines (14-15)
Never are passions cool
To you I am now a tool
vii.
Is the poem relevant to the society today? Why?
The poem is relevant to our societies today because
today love can be bought. Most girls today wish to marry men who are well-off.
And if at some point in your life you happen to have money then you have a
dozen of girls around you kissing, hugging and chasing for your money, but the
moment you run bankrupt you lose all your girls altogether. Hypocrisy,
betrayal, and commercial sex are common phenomena in our society.
What lessons do you lean from the poem?
a)
Prostitution
is dangerous because it may expose someone to STDs.
b)
Love
based on money is not good. Because when one runs out of money love is lost
altogether.
c)
Hypocrisy
in love should be discarded/discouraged
d)
Men
should be aware of the tricks girls use to get their money.
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