SIX FLOORS UP.

[inspired by a construction worker in umoja estate,Nairobi}
Sharp wind howling,
bones chilled,
I nearly trip on the edge,
six floors up,
The crane sways dangerously,
Its creek an alarm of death,
Six floors up.
Someone shouts an insult,
I grab onto a metal bar as the gale blows,
Six flows up.
I look down at the tiny men below,
I shudder at the possibility,
from six floors up,
the earth is a monster.
Heavy blocks and cement bags,
tough men hauling them,
cigarettes dangling from their mouths,
Six floors up.
Someone throws me a spade,
Break time is over.
Six floors up.
I shovel and mould sand and ballast.
My stomach pains with hunger
But lunch time is hours away,
six flows up.
I stretch my back,
someone shouts,
'you cant handle the work you leave!'
I spit out brown liquid,
dust speckles fill my eyes
six floors up,
what time is it?