“WRITE A POEM”. By Ubaji Abubakar Eazy on Xenophobic Attacks in South Africa

Write a poem
They tell me
Write of the horror and animosity
Be our voices and let them be heard
As we fall to our death impaled with stones,
Knives, and planks wielded by our assailants.

Write a poem
They urge me
A creative should know not silence
When barricaded by the wall of cruelty.

Write a poem
Let the muse sing
Tell the tale of brothers killing brothers
While gleefully pilfering their property.

Write a poem
Tell that story of how the monkey
Rescued the lion from a trap hole
Only for it to turn around
And tag the monkey it’s food.

Write a poem
I am told
Remind them the legacy of Madiba
Ask them how…
How does one soon don the garb
Of the monster he once fought against?

Write a poem
They tell me
But I look on quietly, flummoxed and dazed
My hand neither knows where to start
Nor where to end this horrific tale
My blood is infused with wonder
How does one explain this curse of Cain?
Apologies please, my ink is frozen
And wants not to write this sad tale.

Ubaji Isiaka Abubakar Eazy is a poet, short story writer, editor, book reviewer, and essayist. He holds a degree in English Language and Literary Studies and has written myriad critical essays on literature, with most published online. He currently teaches ESL/EFL at Qalam Educational and Technical Centre, Hargeisa, Somaliland. He also contributes to Somaliland.com.