Zimbabwe by Heather Dube

Image - Sokwanele - Zimbabwe

 

I love her too
she may be young
but this beautiful mother's milk is sour to her
children
her babies who never cry
but mumble in silence and fear
bathi umntwana ongakhaliyo ufela
embelekweni*
the great dzimbaremabwe**
is weathering
each granite stone falling hard on a blood
stained soil of the chimurenga***
only to crumble to dust pounded by once a
hero now a villain
blown by the harsh stinking breath of a
ruthless self to land in the hands of
xenophobia.
She is still a beauty
I love her too
I can only hope and pray
the tears drenching her youthfulness to dry
up soon
I love her
I love Zimbabwe

*A child that don’t cry dies on its mother’s back

**House of stone

***War of liberation

Beulah Needs Another Man by Donal Mahoney

Image - livingincinema.com

Beulah needs another man who'll take

the garbage out at dawn and not

bring it back again at midnight, something

Jasper's done many nights for years.

Beulah knows when Jasper's found

another woman but she never says a word

because Jasper always mows the lawn

and rakes the leaves and fixes

things around the house unlike

Homer who was never handy.

But yesterday the doctor said Jasper has

six months to live so Beulah wants to meet

another handy man at Jasper's wake.

She met Jasper at a wake the day

he dropped the lid on Homer's coffin.

‎** Fatality ** by Zebb OkaNsingo

As we speed along life’s highway
What happens to our dreams
when our chatter turns to screams
and our breath shrieks out of our bodies
When we screech across the tarmac
Eyes wide open in shock
Mouths agape in terror
Flesh tearing apart
What happens to our hopes
As we enter the darkness

Poetry Bulawayo mourns Walter Mparutsa

Image and content - culture365.wordpress.com

Poetry Bulawayo joins the nation in mourning the passing on of veteran theatre enthusiast Walter Mparutsa. He was 71. Walter died from cancer complications in the late hours of Thursday 12 April 2012, after a protracted battle with the disease.
Walter Mparutsa though synonymous with the theatre sector wore various other caps; actor, advisor, mentor, consultant, writer, director, producer and promoter. With a career spanning over 40 years, Walter was involved in various sector related activities that speared headed theatre included formulating the Zimbabwe Theatre Association (ZiTA), acting and consulting for various arts festivals, associations and productions.
At the time of his passing Walter was director of the Global Arts Trust formulated for the promotion of arts and the cultural activities through various forms of the media such as film, literature, theatre and music. The Culture Fund was working with him through theatre collaboration between Global Arts and Complete Arts Project on the play “The Father” and was on hand as technical advisor for the initial consultative process of the set up of the Zimbabwe Theatre Association.
The gap that someone of Walter’s stature has left in the industry is one that will not easily be filled his charisma, passion and drive for art and culture will forever be etched in the sector and our memories.
May his soul rest in eternal peace.

Masked Pain by Mgcini Nyoni

Image - vi.sualize.us

Glossy  lips

burgundy lip-gloss

lavender

strawberry...cherry

lip-gloss and a smile

hiding the kisses and

the happier moments

that are now nights of pain and tears

glossy lips

hiding pain and heartbreak...

and the soft, deceitful kisses

that seemed magical then...