Poems of grief

(5) The candle into darkness..

With all your brokenness, the grief in your hearts, the fears in your mind, the pain, the scars on you body, we couldn’t exchange you for anyone in the whole world;

 

(4) To you the survivors; the fighters

As I sleep in the comfort of my bed; in the safety of my home;
on this day when we remember those who are gone;

I want to take a moment to thank you for this opportunity;
Your fight is a great inspiration for my duty towards this country,

Your resilience gives a meaning to my existence;
Your life gives me hope for the triumph of good over evil:

You represent life over death, you are the good in mankind;

You survived so we can be together;
Against all adversity, we are stronger than ever;

United we stand; in Rwanda our motherland;

We shall never replace your loved ones, but we love you with all our heart;
For you are Rwanda; you are our fight!

We are stronger because of you!
So thank you
(3) Rwanda has fallen in April rain

The rain. More rain.

I am scared, it is April again.

The red soil is muddy, the path slippery;

The weather is dire, the sky gloomy

The smell of death and blood is fresh;

Stray dogs are mad, they’ve tasted flesh;

My neighbours have changed, they see me – the enemy;

The look in their eyes, the words in their mouth – fright me;

The swamp is filled, there is no where to hide;

The chill of water consumes me alive;

The tune of frogs keeps me still;

Yet it won’t mute, familiar cries on the hill;

Mosquito bites remind me I am alive;

Should I stay here and save myself;

Find my spouse and risk my life?

The rooster sings, its already morning;

I lived through the night, daylight reveals my hiding;

The muzim is strange, he didn’t call for prayer;

Perhaps is he worried, his God is elsewhere;

The radio.

I dread the voice on the radio.

The cynic tone, The messages of loathe;

The call to kill, is loud on every hill;

I can hear them approaching,

Their feet daunting, their songs distressing;

I am scared no more, I have no one to loose;

My house destroyed, my loved ones abused;

The rain, more rain;

I am cold, O April rain;

How I used to rejoice at your coming;

The hope of harvest you brought, the second chance of living;

Farmers are singing different chants;

Women are hiding in the swamps;

This time you are deceived, this is not your place;

You shouldn’t have come; you are falling for waste;

This is no season for growth; soiled are the fields;

Hoes, machetes are stained; they won’t plant the seeds;

O April rain;

Go back where you came from, tell them Rwanda has fallen. 
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(2) I remember, I see;

You are in my heart, I feel;

Like the bird that flies across the sky,

I will never forget your smile;

The spark that ignites my heart,

The flame that burns through the night;

The strength to carry on;

The drumbeat of a whole nation,

The cause that gives me passion;

The rhythm that leads the dance;

The meaning to my existence,

The drive to keep the fight,

The struggle for a day that’s bright;

I will see you, I know;

Unto you today, I bow.
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(1) For the Rwandans I didn’t grow to see;

Special persons I have not met;

Dear friends I have not made;

Whose pictures I can still see;

But whose features will no more be;

The voices I have not heard;

The laughter I have not shared;

The hugs I have not given;

The hands I have not shaken;

The songs I have not heard;

The dance I may not have;

The treasure we have all lost;

The mother I loved the most;

I miss you like a fish misses the sea.

Posted 6th April 2014