Dear Uganda - A poem

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Dear Uganda
I think of you at 55
I may not be with you but
I see how you've grown and regressed
Taken two steps forward and two steps back
The runyegege, the bakusimba, the ding-ding

You raised me
You taught me
You natured me
The taste of your food lingers on my palate
The sounds of your instructions echo in my ears
Every where I go, I talk about you
How I came from you
How I am you
Now? In this moment?
Mixed feelings well up inside
I watch scenes of rage, anger, betrayal
Scenes of bloodshed, loss and abuse
My eyesight blurs
Waters of Lake Victoria and River Nile well up inside
Drip ... wipe ... sniff ...
My palm dampens

 Your soils grate my iris and don't rinse out. I shut them tight. I open them wide.
Still the discomfort of current political disagreements don't fade.
The fist punches, the metal launches, the chair thrusts...
Words rip through the heart, carelessly thrown
They pace my mind
They leave questions about the men and women who walk those corridors of decision and power.
The humility and dread that had us locked in stores and dark rooms, under tables and round corners waiting ... waiting for BBC Africa to declare the end of war is long forgotten.
Now we disgrace the table, dig and spin our heels round as on a stage. We raise our fists and threaten as pride wells up inside our chests.
Like the Israelites we curve golden calves, we rave and spit
In the chaos we lose sight of the promised land
And Moses, do we even know him?
Can we hear him?
What does he say?
Did he ascend the mountain?
Does his face glow?
Do we care?

The promised land is what we seek
We have the weather, the beautiful nature, the creative happy people
Pearls we've been blessed with
Let's hold them close
Adorn our children with them
The world will come and witness our beauty
I sit here and think of you.
Ugandans within you think of you too.

Happy 55th Independence Anniversary

#Uganda55 #55UgBlogs

Comments

  1. Anonymous11:57 AM

    i want in summarized of about three stanzas

    ReplyDelete

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