Like a seed in fertile soil
I germinated.
Like a plant, I grew strong and bore fruits
But now I know:
That like a flower in the autumn
I will fade.
Like dew on a sunny day
Melting is imminent.
As the sun rises
So, will it set.
After day
The night will follow
Yes, after birth
Death is inevitable.
She had wide and broad shoulders
That carried us all
During the roaring and ferocious winds
Out in the cold all alone.
That was my mother.
She fought and won wars
That were too complex for her.
While all those she trusted
Turned their backs on her
And alone and lonely she conquered.
Today in her sleep
Those who never dared to face her
Still torment her name
As they cannot touch her soul
And in her slumber, she still fights back.
A woman is a rock indeed
That stands still in the face of challenges.
With her mouth permanently shut
I can still hear her war cry
And it pierces deep inside me.
Can you let her rest?
For she has very little energy left
After facing all the wars on her own.
Let her enjoy the eternal peace
And please, afford her time to prepare for our inevitable arrival.
Every time I go to sleep
I see your round wrinkled face
Covered in a smile,
Though you never had a reason to laugh.
Every time I listen
I hear your sweet soothing voice
Telling me to march on
Because the land of honey was near.
Every time I think of you
I see all your toiling
Meant to put a plate on our laps
Even if it meant scavenging like a stray dog.
Every Time I hear your name
I confirm that you were a brave woman
Who gave all her life
For the love and life of us all.
And though you are gone
I feel you live among your grandchildren
Even though they are yet to meet you
And feel your ever present and endless love.
Take me back
To my mother’s womb
Where there is warmth,
Happiness and love.
What was once my home has been strafed.
Flying bullets have blinded my eyes and blocked my tiny ears.
I hear nothing but wailing children
Yelling for their mothers and father prostrated on the ground.
The powerful have spoken
All I can do is duck now and again
To save my only possession –
My innocent soul.
Mortars and smoke
Hide the sky from me,
But not me from You
For Your eyes, can see through the thickest darkness.
Come for me now
I see no light
It’s midnight darkness,
And hope is what I lack.
It’s been years waiting
For the huge brute.
To do his only job
Of demonstrating his prowess
Amid women’s ululation.
“On your knees & keep your neck straight,” he would say.
In his hand a razor- sharp sword shall turn and twist.
My heart shall dance against chest.
Though fallible like me he holds my life
Or lack thereof in his hands.
A pitch- black cloth shall descend over my head
Preventing me from seeing
His cruelty.
But still I will see my way to Him.
I will see what they cannot see.
The man or is he a real man?
Will swing his sword once above my head
And once against my neck.
Yes, the long-awaited moment will have finally come
Turning the ground blood red.
Freedom comes in many ways.
I will strut Home and free.
Leaving them guilty
For they know they are no God
But sinners like me.
Twenty years ago
You shone like a star,
With limitless beauty spread all over you.
Sixty years later
Your glitter has faded.
Your beauty in now blurry.
Have you transformed
Or my eyes are giving in?
Whatever.
My vision keeps you alive.
Shine on.
If only she made it…,
She could be hugging and kissing:
Dad, mum and brothers.
Making her presence felt at home,
And getting inducted to house rules
Before becoming a lady.
If only she made it…
She could be eight by now,
Dressed in her bright school uniform.
Playing with her mates,
And venturing into the real world,
Before becoming a big girl.
If only she made it…
She could be soaring like an eagle,
Away from the embracing wings of her loved ones.
Learning to hunt and survive,
And slowly learning to be a responsible citizen
So that she could be a wife and a caring mother.
If only she made it…,
But sadly she could not survive
Even the nine months protection
In her mother’s warm and life-giving womb.
She could not be given love, life and a name of her own
Because she didn’t make it.
siphosrp 