image: Shadrack Maithya
Xadly, it’x no lngr a xcienxe
Patrick Ngugi
Patrick Ngugi
Oh, how thrilling writing was
a long time ago, once upon a time,
an art and a science; almost magical,
a pen in hand transforming into a wand,
molding moods and images on paper.
With letters so stylishly penned
the dots on the i’s and j’s firmly in place
and the t’s and f’s crossed
with big beautiful forward slant
or small hesitant backhand.
Days when you’d look at the script
and prophesy the writer’s weather.
Writing and reading letters was cool –
the greeting, the body, and the signature.
Occasionally scented, powdered missive
came complete with flowers inside.
The fancy decorated envelopes
sealed with a lick ‘cos a kiss wouldn’t stick.
But alas, it all came to dull end
when the romance was digitally defiled
by cellphones, laptops, tablets and ipads
replacing biros, fountain pens and pads
raping and butchering some alphabets.
Too sad the X-generation will never know
the ecstasy of sweet smiles, hugs and sex.
Poor kidx, all they will ever experience
xhall be ecxtaxy of xweet xmilex, hugx and xex.
For even the good old passionate kiss is gone,
in itx place ix an awkward paxxionate kixx.
The joy of rdng lng mail hax xurely vanixhed –
blame it all on da 4n n da textx.
Rting hax xurely ceaxed 2 b an rt
N da day of g8t rdng ix gn
Yex, n … Xadly xo,
Itx ixint a xcienxe any lngr
Xuch a xad xtory!
a long time ago, once upon a time,
an art and a science; almost magical,
a pen in hand transforming into a wand,
molding moods and images on paper.
With letters so stylishly penned
the dots on the i’s and j’s firmly in place
and the t’s and f’s crossed
with big beautiful forward slant
or small hesitant backhand.
Days when you’d look at the script
and prophesy the writer’s weather.
Writing and reading letters was cool –
the greeting, the body, and the signature.
Occasionally scented, powdered missive
came complete with flowers inside.
The fancy decorated envelopes
sealed with a lick ‘cos a kiss wouldn’t stick.
But alas, it all came to dull end
when the romance was digitally defiled
by cellphones, laptops, tablets and ipads
replacing biros, fountain pens and pads
raping and butchering some alphabets.
Too sad the X-generation will never know
the ecstasy of sweet smiles, hugs and sex.
Poor kidx, all they will ever experience
xhall be ecxtaxy of xweet xmilex, hugx and xex.
For even the good old passionate kiss is gone,
in itx place ix an awkward paxxionate kixx.
The joy of rdng lng mail hax xurely vanixhed –
blame it all on da 4n n da textx.
Rting hax xurely ceaxed 2 b an rt
N da day of g8t rdng ix gn
Yex, n … Xadly xo,
Itx ixint a xcienxe any lngr
Xuch a xad xtory!
Patrick Ngugi is a writer and poet who has authored seven books. He worked as a journalist with the Nation Media Group for two decades before he went into personal business. Ngugi, married with four grown up children, was born in the Muthurwa neighborhood of Nairobi in 1957. He studied journalism at London School of Journalism.