ANALYSIS OF THE POEM "YOU ARE LOST" (Isack Mruma) BY Samson Mwita

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.

 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.

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 3^rd stanza

to you I am now a tool,

and all my wage is now the fare:

I ride on your throbbing kisses.

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.