Imali J Abala

In the Murk of Life Imali J Abala

In the Murk of Life is an anthology written by first-year students in the department of literature at Kisii University in Kenya. As its title suggests, the poets in this collection explore the murky landscape of life in Kenyan society and examine issues that are universal in content: They deal with the bitter-sweet lies evident in intimate relationships among young people. They tackle the issues of corruption, murder, and betrayal that paint the rotten fabric of Kenyan politics. They also, categorically, state their fears in poems about death, cancer and HIV/AIDS. Nature and the environment feature prominently in poems about birds, trees and nights and, subsequently, unveil truths that lay beneath the ordinary understanding of this phenomenon. In essence, In the Murk of Life the Kenyan society is portrayed as "the place we call home" as the poet Mose E. Morang'a states in his poem, and as a "Disheartening Society" as the poet, Aurellia Atieno, views it.