Does God wear shoes?

          

              Mungu havai viatu?

-Unaonaje? Anavaa?- I ask, to buy time.

Anatembea mguu peku peku?

-Nafikiri mbinguni ni kusafi -

Aking’atwa mguu anahisi uchungu muda mrefu ama anapona haraka?

-Mungu hutuponya tunapokuwa wagonjwa sio?-

 I’m close to panic now, she is looking up to me like I have all the answers, and I doubt the mother would approve of  this conversation.

Na Mungu anajali watu? Mungu anafananaje?

-Mungu ni msmart sana-

Anatoshana hivi? She’s pointing at a flower.

Ni wa rangi hii? Now pointing at  a maroon color fabric.

-Apana, ni mkubwa hivi- I’ve opened my arms very wide and I seem convincing  enough so I add. Na ana nguvu nyingi sana.

Ana nguvu e? Na akidungwa mguu anatembea na mguu mmoja hivi? 

She starts to hop about the room on one leg.

 -Labda tu kidogo –

She looks at an illustration of Jesus and asks:

Huyu ni Mungu?

-Hakuna mtu anaweza kumwona Mungu-

Basi huyu ni nani?

-Huyu ni Yesu, aliwafundisha watu kumhusu Mungu.-

 Huyu ni nani?

-Huyo aliitwa Adamu-

Adam, she repeats then, Nataka kuona Kaleb tena.

-Sawa-

Kaleb is every child’s favourite animation.

I met this girl in the morning, she was hiding behind her mother when the mother came to pick up some kale. She was smiling . I asked her,

-What’s you name?-

Thakira

          -Shakira?-

         Thakira

Her hair was askew, and she wore no hijab

I asked - can I brush your hair?-

Beautiful hair, but dusty, dry and matted. She came back later and I brushed it, then held it into two puffs.

I thought, if  I had a daughter, she would look like her. Darker, but similar, like a startled duck.