My Poems 1. LIKE YOU ‘ANDAM’ I’ll be like you, In capitals will I
always spell your name ‘ANDAM’ For the numerous
footprints you left on this earth, I’ll pick them, On tablets will I
prepare them So they shall remain
forever new, forever yours Daughters of melody
tell it in their songs And others dance on
their rhythms I heard the birds
cheep with thy name as we pass by, At dawn the cock
crows with thy name That reminds me to
be like you ‘ANDAM’ Anytime the wind
blows, It whispers your
initials, But for me I’ll
depict you, In words will I
describe you, Add epithet to your name, And spell it in
capitals ‘ANDAM’ And hope it will
carry me to our dream land. My survival depended
on the little bread you spared that day The piece of cloth
you used to wrap the earth Is what we used to
cover our nakedness and as my regalia This is what others
accuse you and I Should it not rather
merit a pat or a hug? In the dry season,
your tears fall from heavens To nurture the
creatures of the earth A time that I never
had a chance To gather some water
during the rainy season To add to your tears
Now the sky is dry;
famine cometh and your face too dry Where shall I get
some water To at least clean
your feet for the dust, rocky road you trod In every hundred days
of my journey Ten shall be to your
dreamland Today reach your
menopause No longer do you
bear fruits And creatures of
this earth smile like The sea to spell
your name in capitals ‘ANDAM’ On their behalf, I
depict you, describe you in words Add epithet to your
name ‘ANDAM’ I’ll be like you July 2006 2. SONGS FOR YOU Day-night songs, I’ll sing you in songs I will pronounce your name day and night I will sing you in songs, Which lyrics will be of thy name! I will surely declare your presence in all songs I can never say it to you But will always sing it in the numerous songs of my time. Remember the showers you shared on this earth, Have you forgotten we both Swam in those pools of waters together? So they were all showers, Which brings forth nothing. Since time immemorial, You said you were there for me And in the future songs you will still be there. How long does it take the sun to come and go? So is like your presence and absence. Come and tell me how you walk thy ways. Voice it out again, singing continuous For rhythms to change. Once darkness over shadow the daylight, Once men can no longer see and breath Come in full of ethic life. And sow the indigenous flavor of Thy palatable fruits you left in the sky. Yesterday has gone and will never Come in those moods again. So, it should be forgotten. Once today is gradually wearing away, like while Tomorrows will be too far way, Perhaps may never come for the songs….
So, is the fear of loosing the apples and wines! Song, songs, with lyric thy name So, it will always flow within me Come for that single flame has gone dim. Guts closed, eyes opened, harts exited Say it and the songs will move Mountains and rise the deads… Singing, sings will I do to keep the societies awake…. 3. THE You
may call me all names
Just
because you see me the I appear today
Do
it as you never expected
You
may beat me with your eyes
You
may give me a dirty cloth to ware
Just
because you never expected me to do as I did
But
like that morning sun I will surely shine
When I raise up my eyes to see the starsI
begin to name them according to their sizes
And
how bright they shine
That is how they see that land That beautiful land is where I
come Where I first begin to grow and
shine Like that morning sun Where I first had those joyful
days I will never forget the
footprint I left on that land Where I first struggled to get
the pot of gold Do they say I can’t get there, If I don’t have the pot of gold? Yes, it is as they say But from that land where
children, Mother picks up little wood on
which They survive for the entire
seasons, On which they depend for their tatted cloths. A land where baby dangle about
at moonlight, Where darkness and silence
overshadow The voice of every happy baby at
daylight At time when they gather around the Older trees to here about the
past A place where the November
seasons Brings joy and sorrow At mornings babies gather round Woods of fire to warm their
bodies And tell their nightmares But at noon they worry about, Fall and rise to protect their
bamboo Walls that are ready tinder for
fire Is where I hailed to shine on
the Land like the morning sun. Why do you point at that land With your left hand and call it
all names? Just because you already have
the pot of gold. Never be deceived by things of
the forest And desert thy farmland This dirty, berry land is the
brain behind Thy marvelous radiating waves Come, come back And plant those trees in the
forest On your dirty, berry farm land For it will soon be a forest. By:
Senyo Emmanuel Kumedzina ©2006, November 4. Sweet November
The season will soon come The sweet November season will soon
be here again The season carry in it wings the
numerous jargons That can’t be explained The gifts of this season are so
admirable The dry cool scented winds and
sweet colored, I will describe you, Sweet Season November Those that you give to trees are
splendid November is ready to give out
their children And become so bare and lonely
except few That stays awake till the night
storms What then do you prefer to give
to the rural folks White, blue, black, joy or
sorrow You chose tree gifts out the a
lot; white, joy and sorrow What then do you do with those
chosen? White, is the color for children
and those who Hardly protected themselves from
it Joy, are times when men rape
what they have sow Rest at home, hunt desirable
meats, and hawks swoop For insert and mice In mornings, babies, some in
their tatted cloths Gather by fires to warm their
bodies Where they most become victims
of the chosen color; white A time when they get the chance
to narrate their nightmares And deliberate on the future
dreams. This is the time that share
butter rejoices in the market This also brings joy to it
sellers. Sorrows come at noon, As they prepare to rescue those
who Might fall victims of the anger
of the season Only men could wash down
themselves with cool water Hears, glasscutters, antelopes,
mice, insert Run for their little lives.
TWINS OF THE SAME MOTHER – Prez Mills and Prez Obama We deliver to you this day the account of your coming and agonies In a unique way shall we mentioned your names Peace, love and prosperity are the fruits of your coming These you both preached in one word ‘change’ These we all responded ‘we can’ For many were awake when you both preached that dawn, They were ready for your three gifts peace, love and prosperity In what a unique way shall we describe The dusty rocky road you trod It took us eight days to measure the Three footsteps you took to heaven Today reach your celebrity when we stretched Our arms and necks to count the intervals you took to heaven And there come your counterpart eight days from today Who formed the foundation of your ‘change’ In parables he left it with his people And they nodded ‘yes, we can’ The coming of your counterpart was a prophecy of a Prophet forty days ago, ‘I have a dream, that one day…..’ One day the unique twin brothers were Born of the same mother ‘change’ However, one was born after being conceived For three consecutive times. Your coming the world says is the end of all Racisms, militarism, discrimination, and economic exploitation We woke up early in the morning only to be told Humanity club was formed and named after you ‘ATTA MILLS’ At noon we were told our homes were also named ‘OBAMA’ These are what the hungry loin accused you and I of Which rather should merit pat or hag. Mills, Obama, you are both welcome You are both the voice of the voiceless You are both the water that nurture Living creature in the dry season By the time the world wakes up from its little slumber Your footprints are at it four corners Mills, Obama, just take the blame when it comes, only, if not too far from you Just accept to be crucified because of us. We know not all would understand, For it would be too far from their understanding But surly, it would be written on the hearts of the few That witnessed the day that your tears Nature them on this earth. By Senyo Emmanuel Kumedzina, 2009 senyoonline@gmail.com |
5. I’LL CHANGE MY NAME I give you thanks all my people Congratulations, For helping change my name Which initials would not be known to our ancestors. I’ll change my mother tongue and modify my Alma-matter I’ll change my voice so you would no longer recognize my songs I’ll cut all the favorable crops in the farm and plant in it new ones Just like the frog, I’ll bathe in waters In order to differ from the toad. All because I’ll change my name Which initials would not be known to our ancestors.
I write this to you all my people That ignorance deserted me from my own land And I’ll come back no more I gave it in worlds that you could understand In parables I left it with others that they would also understand And tell the ancestors that I’ll change my name which initials would not be known to them
Tell me if the ancestors are still alive, Lying there and see you helped me change my name Tell me if they have lost their eyes and years That they can’t see and hear If so, then my people, you those Whose fire woods have reached your head load Go and tell them, I say I’ll change my name which initials would not be known to them.
Once men could now see and hear That I’ll change my name; Today that I’m felt with the muse of poetry In my shabby cloths I gave it out in words and parables That you helped me change my name. Thanks, Thank you all my people Congratulations, Tell them and more handsome rewards from heavens If not too far from you Just because you helped me change my name Which initials would not be known to our ancestors But still, I’ll change my name. 6. THE PREGNANT SEASON The season is pregnant And carry in her wombs beautiful Bouncing babies yet to be born Men form humanity club to discuses her delivery day
Why, why so soon this season While I’m still in my dark ages And have no place for my babies As if I don’t know when you were pregnant For, you delivery day shall be celebrative, So may it be extended How much space do I have to welcome your babies How much food is stored in the bunds How much is done and left undone I wish to stop the sun moving so night shall not fall now I was not awake when it rained that night A night that spoke of your coming But men ware under the eaves to gather some water They heard of your coming and welcome your babies with alacrity 7. STORM AT SUNSET In my little peaceful slumber The wine of solitude blow Haring, sway branches here and there, Gyrate, feign fence my solace And solace can’t be found, Now I’m sobbed Where from this intruder at this ungodly hour While the sun has just set I hope you wouldn’t stay forever I rapped at the sleeping gypsy’s door This ominous, intricate mystery stayed for long Which need to be unraveled at least for now For me to have the little peaceful slumber I had before it came Go and come no more until the sun arise
8. Mother’s last call Soon, soon the day comes Slow, slowly the queen of the darkness appears Who knows, the source of day and night This narrow path is where it comes, Like the times of ever joyful memory will I stay in joy. Joy, joy will it be for me to call it back. Is where you first taste the bread of life Come home… Come back home, And keep that narrow path wealthy as it was Before you came The western winds which Ramshackle abode can’t be forgotten. A wind that took away my children Never be deceived by the voice of the vultures, Whose breath is like the western winds, Slowly come, Never let me remember that joyful day, I went through out the nine seasons
Gone are the days when I call it back, and Would see the ancestors with tread And needle at midday light, For you to know, tide and winds were There since accent times. But now my eyes are dim And when the trees begin to share their leaves And once the beautiful flesh flowers wrinkle At the time when that vine Would no longer be climbed!
Come, come back home Before I respond to the call of my ancestors, Before I am laid to face the sky and count the stars. Where darkness will over shadow the daylight Where I’ll no longer here the voice of my children At the point when I would not see That glooming morning sun Where I will be pulled by unknown Relations and friends. Slowly, slowly to eternity Come quickly before I respond to the ancestors Slowly, slowly to eternity
9. Mother’s Love In that hovels mama conceived me In those shabby cloths mama carried me Through out the nine joyful days A time whose mystery can’t be told again and gain In those ragged leaves mama wrapped me In those slums mama trod with me Mama gave me the bread of life from that two little shinny pots. At dawn mama calls the sun to come early to keep me warm At noon, mama covers me her palm So the sun shall not lay his heavy hands on me Under the hovels that are already exposed to the night winds, And plead with the wind not to carry me away Mama told me the relics of my infant Oh, how deep is thy love mama How bright are thy caring eyes But today come another season When your bright eyes dim, leaves weather And the stream of love flows no more And ever endless sleep begins Now my eyes opened
10. LET PEACE RAIN (A poem for International Peace Day) From the east, west, north and south we all cry, let it rain Sharply, the wind blows Sway branches here and there, Mothers harrying to carry their babies in their own bosom Hares run for their lives Where is Peace and Love? Why do you kill each other? Papa and mama, black and white, God, Allah and gods, brothers and sister, Sons and daughters, Why do preach peace and practice pieces Please I say let it rain… Under the sun babies cry, Under the moon babies still cry saying why mama, why papa? Under the sun the earth cries saying why my children? In deep and shallow waters fishes and creatures cry, In deep and shallow forests the deer cries and run, Run for its little life These are all the relics of the coming of greed and hatred Please, papa and mama, sons and daughters Let peace rain. Let peace rain like water from heavens, let it rain… From the east, west, north and South let peace rain From mountains and valleys let peace rain Politicians and civil servants, teachers and students, Superiors and subordinates, mothers and fathers, Sons and daughters, brothers and sisters Why are your hearts griped with hatred and anger? When you can just let peace rain to nature creatures of this earth Why are your hands griped with innocent blood? When you can just let peace flow like blood in you vein Why do you enslave yourselves in the prisons of political Tribal and religious differences? When you can just let peace build a better home for you and I Please I say, Let peace rain… Why can’t you free yourselves from the Bondage of hatred and let peace rain For, where there is peace, there is great love Where there is peace, one need not to struggle and search for justice Where there is peace, love and justice there is freedom Where freedom rains, there is development So free at last, free at last, Free from the bondage of hatred, anger, greed, Free from tribalism. Free at last from political, economic exploitation And let the supreme peace rain... |
