Mtu Kuzi

There are moments in life when you sit next to someone you care about and still feel invisible

It is a painful truth many of us avoid admitting but it happens
Sometimes people stop seeing us long before we actually fade from their lives

I once read a short poem that spoke of a face turning gray
life draining away
and eyes that were already elsewhere

That hit home
Not because of the words alone but because it mirrors what happens in real life

Think of it
In Kenyan homes classrooms workplaces or even relationships
you may be sitting with someone hoping they will notice your struggle
You wait for them to ask *are you okay*
but their attention is far away
on their phone
on another person
or lost in their own world

And in that silence you realize you have been unseen for a long time

This is more than romance
It is human connection

It is friends who no longer check in
Parents too busy to notice a child’s fading smile
Teachers overlooking the quiet student at the back
Partners living under the same roof but drifting apart

The hardest part is not being left
The hardest part is staying
while slowly realizing you are no longer noticed

We need to reclaim the culture of seeing each other
In Kenya we grew up in communities where neighbors noticed if you skipped a meal
where relatives knew when you were troubled
That spirit is fading
replaced by busyness and distraction

Maybe it is time to pause
to look again
to notice the subtle signs in the people around us before it is too late

Because no one fades overnight
The signs are always there

The question is
are we paying attention