Poetry

pixabay photo

By

Kabedoopong Piddo Ddibe’st

I Shall Return

I have come away

Home far away home

To this paradise far

Like any great traveler

Worth knowing the bush

Paths of civilized life,

But O will I return home?

I never feel at home home here.

What restless feet

Of mine carried me,

The Prodigal Father!

What little gains or no;

I fathered myself on

The eyebrows of contagious nights;

A child to no father,

A father to no child.

No!

I must not sleep here,

Not tonight! It squeezes me!

Much as I extract

Their seductive paths,

I must not lose my own,

I must return home

When I am sane or partly.

The Air Smells

The slim,

The threats,

The beacon of long dark lights;

The skunk,

The fired smoke,

The cockroach hands that squeeze testes;

The jackboot,

The spilt blood,

The crunch of civilized bones;

The sun,

The gumboots,

The high-heeled buttock-kicks;

The snow,

The snowflakes,

The overloaded canoes aboding;

The shots,

The streets,

The falling leaves of shot flies;

The promises,

The campaigns,

The shattering hopes of despairs;

The flood,

The blood,

The head that wears the crown spills;

The goons,

The chunks

The economy steal so sinks;

The glue

Glued the buttocks

Of the sitting statue on the stool;

The moon,

The future;

The bright future behind us.

Devils in Heaven

The devil belies the beauteous angel;

One face dangling falsehood to behold,

Sermonizing mischiefs, arsenal gospel;

One face, same lies shooting fame and black gold,

Diff’rent lies, same liar; up with rod to rule,

In beauteous angels dwell the black devils;

Rats that bite the feet blow cold air to cool,

Devils bark, angels salute the weevils;

Kneading dough of cries, serving the nations

On wine of blood and bread of swine and dread;

Then merrily, merrily feed on idle notions,

The poor feed the rich and so does my head.

For God and my belly food chain still flow,

Snow in hell, Paradise gained, hell on snow.

Kabedoopong Piddo Ddibe’st

Kabedoopong Piddo Ddibe’st is a Ugandan Poet/English and Literature teacher, born in Kitgum, an Acholi by tribe, aged 26.

He is from the land ruled by Idi Amin Dada (1971-9), then by Museveni (1986-present), invaded by LRA/Lord Resistance Army under Joseph Kony(1986-2006).

Thus, he comes from a dirt poor family background, a nation where life is at stake.