Poetry Bulawayo

Gone too soon Always will be remembered I will cherish your loyalty to Africa until the day I also see you sited somewhere beside Peter, Mahatma, Martin and Teresa I could have sworn I felt the ground shake When your soul escaped form the body it was kept I could hear the sounds and celebrations of the jubilations in hell last night when the world wept - the angel has gone where he belongs. Hope they tell me where they bury you so I come and lie down near you and listen to all your stories Stories of how you and your comrades marched down the streets towards the enemy Ran Soweto carrying nothing but banners the only bullets you had was the shouts of 'freedom'. How did you really feel when you drank coffee with the same men who put you in cages? I bet they almost died of your brutal, unconditional forgiveness. Dear Nelson Take thy place as God's greatest grandson Bring thy head forward to receive your crowning as Africa'...

You see the oddest things  at Christmastime in America. The bigger the city,  the stranger the sights. I was driving downtown  to buy gifts for the family  and enjoying bouquets of beautiful people bundled in big coats and colorful scarves clustered on corners, shopping in good cheer amid petals of snow  dancing in the sun.  One of them, however, a beautiful young lady, had stopped to take issue  with an old woman in a shawl picketing Planned Parenthood. The old woman was riding on a motor scooter  designed for the elderly. She held a sign bigger than she was and kept motoring back and forth as resolute as my aunt who had been renowned  for protesting any injustice. Saving seals in the Antarctic  had been very important to her. On this day, however,  the beautiful young lady who had taken issue with ...

We there by the corner on Rivonia Cheering on our hero Departed, Singing our proud hearts out ''Mandela,Mandela'' We sang He did us proud did that old boy Loving him poeticaly was like heaven itself ''Freedom'' We were there Right where he was Made us proud Did that old boy! Loving him poeticaly was like heaven itself, We were there Indeed we were ''Nkosi sikelel'Africa'' we sang By the corner for Rivonia!

Image -  www.buzzle.com Unbraid our hair into long strands Of kaffir tufts Never forget to oil and unbraid and oil again Before you bind it straight Into curls of slavery Circling our ebony foreheads We must be likened to Sarah and them Must_bind_tighter Never forget to adorn our heads With waves of lyrical hair It_must_scale down our shoulders And hide the kink of our own hair The pride of the women that came before us We must be likened to Sally and them Without hair that grows towards the sun Must_Cover_our pride That we may be reckoned upon With a lighter eye Must_Bind_Tighter Never forget to adorn our heads With the hair of other women Ours, we can never protect

With feline grace and feral eyes  a ponytail  of raven hair  bouncing, bouncing  waitress tall   wisp of skirt spaceship heels  weaves among  tiny tables tray held high in a disco sky ice cubes tinkling a lioness amused  by eyes of prey never brushes  a single shoulder  as the men drink up, reach for money. Maybe she will.  Let's order another.

Image - http://jamalmiller.files.wordpress.com Clouds of uncertainty Grey Darkening Turning black Despair points a mocking finger Through the pockets of the unknown   The gap widens The image is now blurry Sketchy The voice inaudible Maybe it’s not even there It’s not an easy step to take The crocodiles may be on either side It has always been a gamble Waiting is the safest option It is too much Too much to bear Wait Nearly,    nearly,       near Wait Waaaiit No! A sigh The wait continues The sadness continues Thoughts racing; thoughts unclear Reassembling the image Rebuilding the voice There must be a way It may be over Uncertainty Despair Ah! Well!

Image - www.dance-enthusiast.com Shine, oh shine lady of sober origins, Let them wonder who you are, Down in the midst of a people so diverse, Like a rare but beautiful jewel Against the skin of a classy woman. Walk with pride down life's journey, Take every stride like a deity is watching, Marveling at your beauty oh African woman, You are the finest flower of Ubuntu Yes you are! Dance in the cool summer rain with your bare feet, Sway your generous hips to the left, to the right, back to the left. Smile at the setting sun with your milky white teeth. Let your heart leap with joy as you anticipate The beginning of a new day, a better day. Shine; oh shine lady of remarkable aspirations, Let them know who you are: A lioness in the jungle: a moon among the stars. Shine, 'till the haters love it After all, aren't you a bright morning star?  

I was there watching he lifted the knife high and sighed my chest was heaving heart pounding like cattle hooves as they stampede into father's kraal I was terrified he held the knife high chanting like a mad man he got into a trance like frenzy of a possessed man with one stab the cow fell blood spilt the ancestors were fed

Image ©Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine from the one man show Biro Red lips, dark eyes, highlighted with darkness and dark shadow Long red nails, tight tiny skirt Pale white skin; red fiery hair Gorgeous face and thousands of freckles no makeup can hide Her body sways to the rhythm of the music. Petite body swaying left to right like a palm tree in a storm. Her feet dance to the rhythm Different men Different hands Different lips Different scents linger around her Hold her; embrace her She laughs giggles and smiles She sways willingly into their arms She allows herself to be lured into their domain. As the light filters in the next morning It reveals her nakedness She feels unworthy and disgusted She feels dirty and flirty She looks around for the arms that held her tight the night before Only to see a couple of banknotes Tears well up in her eyes But she quickly clenches her fist and holds them back She won’t allow herself to cry As she gets closer to...

The outlet opens a little Against the copious flood Stridently, I shout through the closing door “Please help!” The water level rises and rises, unabated  “Help me, please help, I cannot open the door!” My last lexis before I am swept off my feet I breathe my last Darkness! Impenetrable darkness engulf me Heart freezes, breathing stops Eyes roll out as my feet become numb Lights of the earth fade away And my spirit bellows!  “Is it beautiful out there?” Riotous silence Exit! I leap over the Rubicon Looking back Pallbearers and mourners Watch over my lifeless body, As family, finances, pleasure All the things I treasured I have left behind Reflections of  heaven and the angels Bright orange lights do allure me. What about hell, The place reserved for evil doers? Impregnable luminosity! Drawn to it like a magnet In manifestations of life and death

Every month or so on a Sunday afternoon I skip the football game and get in my truck and drive out from the city into farm country to visit Miss Carol and get my hands on her plump dumplings. Biggest I've ever seen. Best I've ever had, terrific with her legs and thighs. When she lays out  her chicken dinner   on that white tablecloth I start drooling before I even get a hand on it. A farm girl, she says  she's never met  a man like me so nuts am I about her dumplings. Usually, she says, men like breast meat, when it's moist, and I allow how I like that as well but not as much  as her plump dumplings on a Sunday afternoon and her pluperfect legs and thighs