We called it “Kwa Chains”
After the Chinese who built it
Ages before civilisation
It was the only place of solace
The One For The Road Tavern
Now at the hands of a new manager
A grandson of Muchina
The man who took over from the Chinese traders
We loved this joint on the Kenzili hill
It was next to the Kagiri river and its vein was an old wooden bridge
That despite the rot carried
The weight of the drunks
But tonight
The man of the tavern had news
The new Standard Gauge Railway would pass by
That we new but
He closed with we will have to close this small haven
That was the unthinkable
We fought had but when the heavy weapon-ed men and bulldozers arrived nobody stood
That was then
Now
We only know that
It was only at the tavern you could hear sweet melodies of birds integrated to a great set piece not even Mozart did
Now
The buzzing of bulldozers AMD explosions are order of the day
It was only at the tavern you could see a clean steam of Kagiri
Now a stream of polluted sewer water fill the town with stench
It was only at the One For The Road Tavern you could see variety of trees
Now
We see variety of garbage for it is now a heap
The one for the road tavern is now lost
Lost in the name of development
But
Tonight before all is lost
We will meet at the tavern
Appease our ancestors one last time
And drink
The last bottle at the tavern
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