THEY MURDER OUR CHILDREN WITH THEIR WEAPONS
Battlefields blooming in blood.
The country now locked in irons
of medieval terrors.
Guzzling, burning- bright blue giant.
Weapon dealer-
selling tanks, bombs
ammunition, used to threaten the masses.
And douse the country with angry flames.
Is there another way to say this?
Who has done anything to save them?
Who has heard their protests, their pains?
their cries, the tears of our children?
How many poems have we written?
What alarm bell haven't we wrung?
While Africa, UN, and SADC waits, watches
USA, UK, on the sidelines, this side
China, Russia and South Africa are
on the other side.
Now I realise they won't be no eyes
no ears, no hands
no art, no song, no story
no useless poem like this one.
That will bring the country
of our dried tears.
Or rein back love and laughter
into our children's burning-
silent thirst.
PLUNDER IN MY HEART
One is a surprise.
Two is a surfeit of words.
Three is impossible to process.
But then, somehow- in their cluttered
Thousands--- they have disappeared.
Bruising our side walks, a thousand
cells. Where no battle has been.
Where no one sees. Blood
for water-blood fills the
ponds. Plunder in my
heart! Reading
these hiero-
glyphs
have to
wait
For calmer times.
WHAT DEMOCRACY
I have got to be there.
I can’t stay away forever.
I have got to see.
what became of my country.
People once voted
and I took an oath.
Vouch to fight rigging of elections.
Deprivation:
and processes there-of.
The people travelled miles to compete
in these elections.
Hunger, anger, poverty, asides.
Fellow citizens, all believing
that late March's spirit will free them
to pay homage to this democracy.
This word is alien!
It is a shadow that impresses decisions.
But has never been experienced.
Always victims to greedy vampires
my people have only smelled death
this is the democracy they know.
broken connections
She was a woman
A woman of actions
She lived on the front
Filling me with fantasies
Sensations I can’t contemplate
Without ecstasies
She was the reasons
She was the justifications
Of my being
Of all that I have ever done
But her laughter drives
Inwards of me
To teach me lessons
Of broken connections
CHILD TO CHILD
The time ahead of them
Was of little choice
A thing passed from child
To child to child
VOICES FROM WITHIN US
Life...laughter and joy
Are the only truths
Trapped within words
Love comes into our lives
Like vagrant eddies
Colouring the winds
But its spirit dims
Disappears, and is gone
Have we time?
They wanted to be with us
Look, at the love
Lying longingly untapped
Love big as the sky, open
Like a way of revenge
Held back as punishment
The price you will pay
You will pay in full
To dole it as a reward
Like sunshine on trampled grass
Someone is begging us
To be there now
To share and care
In each other’s arms
Do we perceive their voices?
Deep within us
Like first shelvings, of
A narrow single of a beach
And as we strive
On our way beyond
All these ancient measures
True would be the happiness
Of understanding each other
No matter what content
To me that’s what counts
TENDAI R MWANAKA:I was nominated for the Pushcart twice, 2008, 2010, commended for the Dalro prize 2008, work has been translated into French and Spanish. I was nominated and attended The Caine African writing workshop, 2012. From January- April 2014, I was a Mentor for 3 budding writers in CACE Africa Writivism. Published over 250 pieces of short stories, essays, memoirs, poems and photographic/visual art in over 150 magazines, journals, and anthologies in the following countries, the USA , UK , Canada , South Africa, Zimbabwe, India , Mexico, Kenya, Cameroon, Italy, Ghana, Uganda, France , Zambia, Nigeria, Spain , Romania, Cyprus, Australia and New Zealand.
VOICES FROM EXILE, a collection of poetry onZimbabwe’s political situation and exile in South Africa was published by Lapwing publications, Northern Ireland in 2010.
KEYS IN THE RIVER: Notes from a Modern Chimurenga, a novel of interlinked stories that deals with life in modern day Zimbabwe’s soul was published by Savant books and publications, USA 2012.
A book of creative non-fiction pieces, ZIMBABWE: THE BLAME GAME, was published by Langaa RPCIG( Cameroon 2013)
No comments:
Post a Comment