DEARTH’S LAUGHTER
Sometimes as I sit besides her grave.
I feel a faint weird sound in the waves.
As the wind rustles grass and leaves.
It is an eerie laughter full of the years.
Where such a sound might be coming from?
What is it that she wants to tell me?
Are the thoughts that rustle in my mind?
Sometimes I visualize seeing her,
Coming from that lone cloud to the south.
With her ever-lasting smiling face.
The face I crave for - once more.
The face I wish to cradle in my hands.
But it vanishes when I try to hold it.
I am left clutching thin air-
And echoing sounds, sounding like.
Hand-clapping in the middle of the hills.
Yet it’s like hollow laughter of something,
Deranged, askew and soulless.
The laughter is doomy and horrifying.
When I am deeper in sleep,
In sweet continuation of a dream.
Living with her, ...by her lips.
Telling her of my sweet sublime love.
And she, to be there, always promising!
Then I have her in my arms,
Enclosed as if it is to be for ages.
When I look again I see myself,
Chasing after her, up the terrain.
Why would she want to leave me?
And when I am near clutching her,
She vanishes, just like the bubbles.
Leaving a sound akin to the-
Susurrus breaking up of the bubbles.
Behind that sound there is-
Triumphal laughter of the winner,
Who has won against mankind?
Against the basis of our creation.
Like the triumph of Sun over darkness.
Yet the sound asks not for celebration.
But for cry, hurt and life lived in misery.
By the termite’s mound, besides the road.
We stood enclosed into each other’s warmth.
Tracing the flow of your pretty face.
Wondering whose Poet’s fingers perfect,
Tapered, moulded and shaped this wonder.
Telling of our life and youth’s stories,
Which are from the lips of the Sage’s lore.
Yet there you are, so far away.
In a land I know nothing of.
Except for that deep sigh that issue.
As if it’s a sigh of relief from the earth.
Relief over what, I am still wondering?
Whether you would ever come around.
Re-calling, of yesteryear’s memories.
During clear moon-nights of March.
Wonderful nights, cause of moods, jovial.
Remembering the two, laughing joyousness.
Counting and naming Stars as if they were ours,
As if they cared a farthing for us,
As they maintained their sparkling countenance.
Now as I look at the moon brooding.
A curve hewn-off, turning darker, decaying.
The western horizon red like smouldering eyes,
Of a fiery beast with claw-like long teeth.
Then I see myself being gored by those teeth.
Wrecked into small flipping pieces.
Amid thundering and howling cries.
Death’s gluttonous howling upon my flesh.
And over this gore, my mind wrecking cries.
Grappling through my emotions and feelings.
Wrecking them until what’s left is nothing.
Only it’s continuing horrifying laughter,
Death’s triumphal laughter over me.
COULD HAVE BEEN
could have been
the sighs of an angel?
was it all about
this weird world?
could have been
the wind's murmur?
what does it whispers
so softly?
could have been
the cuckoo bird?
what was its cooing
was all about?
could have been
the lark's shivers?
soaring so far
o, so far away!
could have been
God's own voice?
what does it says?
just do it, do it!
BLAMING IT ON THE ROAD
I have seen many a men
have taken a wide accessible lane
also a narrow ragged potholed path
to lead them to frontiers yonder.
Its them who have chosen this path
but when they are astray and lost
they start blaming it on the road.
BIO NOTE
VOICES FROM EXILE, a collection of poetry on Zimbabwe’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 inmodern 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) 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.
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