By Timothy Okurut
There was a time when every seat in the classroom had a familiar face. Friends laughed together, shared stories and believed those moments would last forever. However, as life unfolded, some classmates left school, others drifted apart, and some never returned.
In And Every Seat Had Its Sitter!, Timothy Okurut revisits his primary school memories from 2014. Through a deeply personal reflection on friendship, poverty, early marriage, loss and growing up, he captures the painful difference between the classroom they once shared and the empty seats left behind. Above all, the poem reminds us that behind every empty seat is a story worth remembering.
We were in primary four,
Two-zero-one-four,
Before life taught us
To wear wooden boots!
I remember;
We used to make jokes every night,
After classes, before the light
Went out at ten-forty.
Oh, how we used to laugh out loud!
And every seat had its sitter.
Every seat had its sitter
Before everyone started to grow
And stopped making jokes at night,
But remained staring at the ceiling
Till tears flowed out silently!
Every seat had its sitter
Before fees became too high
And Okwalinga had to drop out!
And Lucy was given out for “marriage.”
I miss when that room used to be full;
Now all there is are silhouettes
Of empty seats, seated in silence!
Now we only speak when we meet.
Sometimes it’s even hard to greet,
For you have drawn lines between us!
Others left us and never came back!
I remember Madam Asoga,
Oh, my language teacher!
Her seat remained empty,
And we never saw her again.
Rest in peace, Amuya, Deogracious and Oluk.
Peace be with you, Mathew, too.
And Teddy, that young lady,
Hanged herself, and all said
It was hunger and some spirits!
But trust me, a lot was going on,
Unsaid, unattended, and life;
Life was eating itself up!
Hey! They all fought
A good fight, I tell you!
But something I miss;
Those days when every seat had its sitter!
— Timothy Okurut
Every stage in life comes with it’s own unique challenges, lessons and growth! Thanks so much Timmy for this creative art… Kudos
Yet another work of art that truly rekindles our past, where everyone had hope that one day he/she would be someone of importance and value to the community but along the way the hope that would have been our last thing to be lost was nowhere to be found due to different obstacles. Thank you Timothy for your countless effort of revisiting our past and reminding us that every seat had its sitter.
Thank you flasihi magazine for giving Timothy that opportunity to express him self through for platform.
And one of the sitters of these seats became a writer of the stories behind every empty seat ..proud of you tim
We always develop strong relationship at school ,then ts our responsibility to check on the pipo we made b part of life coz some one can have a plastic smile but the hidden truth is not known
This reminds me of my primary four girlfriend who used to roast potatoes for me ✋.
Indeed Timothy, I miss those days too.
Coz everything now turned around.
Awwwwwwhit’s such a nice an art piece i love it so much ……… the past is so deep and touching
That’s great
This is a perfect peace, Timmy. It actually does feel relatable and it takes us back to the old days. I found myself thinking about how much truth you speak in this.
Read between the lines,,what’s another word better than perfect,,the past is deep,we all sat and had a dream,but life had other plans,may Lucy and Okwalinga find peace, and may Amuya,Deogracious and Oluk REST IN ETERNAL PEACE,you to mathew.
✊️