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
This captured my emotions
Bravo, dear poet
Nice
Impressive
This reminds me of the seat Felix was on, till now not yiven a voice MHSRIP
Thanks to the writter Tim
Thnxs timmy poets for such an amazing masterpiece
I’m proud of u timmy poets for such an amazing masterpiece
Education feels good when u know what u want
Truth about life
Well done brother
Wow bro it’s a nice one. Cheers to more years of embracing the world of poetry. Thanks