The Half Naked Gardener by Mountjoy Mkhando

I was once a half naked gardener
I planted worms instead of flowers
The owner of the house
was so furious with me
he chased me wielding a stick

And then I went to another house
and there
I was welcome with great gusto
They told me
I was the only man in the house

I thought of planting sperms
instead of green vegetables
I thought of X and Y chromosomes
and the uterus
with a silver lining
I ended up chopping off all tomatoes
that were ripe and selling them
To blind nuns of Sibantukodwa Mission
They showed me their petticoats instead

My employer, seething and fuming
told me to go back
And come back a changed man
"repent at Vundu!"
"repent at Vundu!"

And don't repent at the
Ministry of labour and Social Welfare
Because your father was once a worker
and also used to be an employee at the same place;
that is all I have to say!!
Said the official