Terryanne Chebet

Trust me I’m a Journalist
At 9 o’clock every morning
When the opening bell rings on the NSE
I am there, to see the trading begin
Bull Run, what’s the demand for the greenback, Safaricom, is the share price up?
Why? So I can tell you where to put your money
I translate the indices, points up or down, when to buy, when to sell
Then serve you with the simple arithmetic that tomorrow you can add peanut butter
To your daily dry bread and black tea
Trust me I am a journalist

I may be the last one to leave the club every evening
The one whose name everybody knows
But I still take the matatu home after clubbing
While you sashay into your Range Rover sport
After Listening to my witty stories of dining with Raila, holding the chain for Ababu,
Coaxing Kimunya, laughing with kajwang and ducking from Martha
After those wonderful nights, you leave, and I wait for daybreak
Because taxi…not my style.
My number 11 to south B will be here at around 4 am, till then
I get the vibe from the waiters, and the sad mistresses who are always left behind
And that makes the juicy vibe you like to catch in the gossip columns
“Reliable sources”, quote un quote…Trust me, I am a journalist


You see I know everything
It is my job to know who, what, where, when and how
And to help you understand that, lets pick a doing word
And use it with every pronoun I said above …say screw.
So, who …what, where, when and …sometimes how
That was Lesson number one in my news writing class, the 5w’s and an H
With that in mind, I need you to trust me, I am a journalist

I am an ICT specialist
Do you know that the price of bandwith in Kenya costs 100% more than it does in South Africa
That’s the price of speed, or lack of it, should that under water cable ever become a reality
The 113 BPO licenses that have been issued will finally turn to offices
I just made up those numbers up, trust me on that, I am a journalist

I am agriculture expert by the way
A green revolution in Africa can, and will happen
If only we focus on farming again, make life worth living in the grain baskets of this country
Then Africa will feed itself
You see the price of fertilizer kept many farmers away from the farms
If African governments walk the talk, then we won’t be hungry for long
Tanzania will create a fertilizer factory, and then we shall, typically of Kenyans
Bull doze into duty free trade within east African countries
If only they can safaricom shares
trust me, I am a journalist

I am also a professional tourist
I have visited all the hot spots in this country, for free
I am paid to experience the luxury, the beauty and the sheer pleasure
Of best kept exclusive secrets on the shores of Lake Victoria where Bill Clinton and the likes
Drop by for a fishing weekend, or in the heart of Mombasa where Halima charges ‘whatever I can get” for whatever kind of job, fishing blowing…you name it
You see that’s part of my job description
Spoiling the indulging senses of fresh breezes with musky sweaty scents and shots of heroine in the dark Malindi night
I know how to sniff a party, and I can tell that the whiff is good quality
Trust me I am a journalist

In my lifetime
I have also been a thug, a street girl, a parking attendant and a jobless corner one
Sitting outside mama Njeri’s seven up shop in Jericho
As we share the single cigarette till we almost smoke the filter
Chatting up the boys about a bottle that can blow up houses
And toys that kill, in pain…but also in pleasure
Ask Boni odinga or Mohamed Ali, he even knows where the toys are bought, and I am not talking about guns
( and ladies I don’t have his number)
But I Trust him he is a journalist

I interview the other experts all the time, and to ask relevant questions with depth
I have to be proficient; I am paid to be that, so you can believe me
I have ethics by the way, which I strictly adhere to, make an entrance
Attend all the cocktails, swoon over the beauties, men and women alike
Woo them with my charm, words and ‘ I am a journalist”
And when it’s time to leave, let them go, number 11 to south B will start again at 4 am
So there’s time for inspiration for tomorrow’s news
Trust me, I am a journalist.

Libralight

Hi: I know this type of writing is very popular in some places, but I just can't get "poem" out of it. I noticed nobody has said anything yet and I really hate that, so I thought I'd ask where you were coming from when you wrote it. It's sort of a stream of consciousness thing, which makes me crazy when I read them because I can't keep it all inside my tiny mind.
I'd really appreciate your telling me who what where when and why about writing like this, please.

L

Terryanne Chebet

Thanks , it's very Kenyan , revolving around things that have been happening here, for instance: politics & economy.It's a journalists explanation of work and life, and the balance of both, that he rubs shoulders with the hgh and mighty but still lives a below average lifestyle, it's a complain, an explanation and also a poke at journalists.I hope you can undertsand it better now..matatu is a middle lower class public bus,raila, ababu, martha are heavy weight politicians,...any suggestions on how best i can do it?

Libralight

Well, damn. I wrote a ton of stuff on this then hit the wrong button and it magically all went away. I'll rebuild and be back.

L

Rollie Bollocks

This sort of sounds like a monologue from a first person narrative. Not that it doesn't work as a poem - just that it sounds to me like it would make an interesting piece of literature. I'm interested in hearing about this journalist's life and what they do and where they come from. Your journalist says he used to be a thug - I want to hear about his experiences. I want to know what he knows.

Sounds interesting to me!

rb

butchiesmom

I'm going over what you've written and will be doing a formal critique in a few days. I will say though, I think this would do better as an essay or an article.

I do need some clarification of some points which would help my critique.

1. Bull Run and Safaricom (companies on the stock exchange?)
2. Kimunya, kajwang, Malindi night, Boni odinga, Mohamed Ali.
3. will the underwater cable raise or lower the speed of the internet?
4. BPO licenses?
5. Is Tanzania building a fertilizer factory or is this a dream for the future?
6. This line: 'whatever kindof job fishing blowing...you name it (fishing? blowing? blowing fish? Please explain)

There's probably more I've forgotten to ask but that's what's in my notes right now. Perhaps fellow Kenyans would understand the above references but living here in the USA, I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about.

I thought to just research this online but thought you would be the best reference for my questions. Would you please clarify so that I can give a better critique?

I will say that I've found more than a few lines which I really liked and thought 'nice!' and a few when I thought, 'Huh?', lol.

hugs,
Gail

Libralight

Terryanne: A few questions have come to mind regarding this piece.

1) It tells a lot (as a journalist would write) without saying how the issues affect the speaker.

2) As much as the speaker points out all the insider information that defames the job as journalist in South Africa, there is still the undercurrent of pride of knowing all the issues. This is why, I suppose the speaker apparently continues doing the job. If every day one arises to hear feedback about today's NYSE to determine if he/she will be able to eat today, I have to question the value of staying in that position.

3) The use of terminology that only locals would understand pretty well limits distribution, which I am sure, any journalist would risk his/her life to print anyway. So if you wanted this to be run publicly, I think you'd have to make the explanation that you made above as an introduction of some sort, then send it to the other end of the earth for publication.

4) I can't imagine anybody of intelligence compromising themselves to the extent that this subject discusses. Believeability might be considered an issue. Not that each situation doesn't exist, but that one person would persevere through all of it.

It is a fascinating glimpse into a world that is hard to fathom for people who live in the privilege of the USA.

Terryanne Chebet

Thank you all, I will attempt to answer the questions, but you are right if you as a poet cannot understand it, then distribution will be limited to country of origin, which in this case is Kenya.
For the first stanza, the journalist is a financial reporter, and for most, reporting from the NSE, nairobi stock exchange is a must, as the stock market here is quickly becoming headline news.

It cuts across the board that journalists here are not the best paid people, but appearing on TV often gives the illusion of the good life, and many live beyond their means, but in the case of over 70% of all journalists, it is not the case.they live check to check, do not own cars so use public transport, many times cannot afford taxi's yet stay out late at night partying with the rich business or political class....it's a delicate balance, unemplyment rate is high so you stick with what you have.

Believability? I have lived this life.There are a few tweaks here and there just to poke at other journalists, but it is true and many journalists here have live or are living this life.

Sometimes we have to do something and it ends up being either a job or a passion, many journalists are passionate of what they do, despite what you get at teh end of the day, wehre you leave or what you will eat, the satisfaction of someone saying "hello, good job" on the street, has kept many going...

I will try and re edit the piece, also in prose as suggsted above and post it again.

PS. safaricom...company on the stock exchange
Bull run....if stocks are performing well
Kimunya, raila, Martha and Ababu are politicians


I really appreciate your critisism.

Regards,

Terryanne.

mikeham