Deborah
De bor' ah is her Congo name,
To mispronounce it such a shame,
For few would read and say it right,
I asked: a sweet smile brought to light!
My travels though suggested in,
But butterflies? To trap's a sin!
'Swahili' countries (1) borders share
With what was Congo, now Zaire,
With language prone to flit about
No border's safe for the devout,
And love roams free to find its match,
My guess! She would be quite a catch!
Sweet stranger, met in stranger land,
My poetry extends its hand,
All poems, garlands at your feet:
Who dreamed that old and young would meet?
Now simple verse marks simple cause,
A serendipitous life pause!
Brian Johnston
20th of January 2019
Poet's Notes:
(1) I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tanzania
from 1964-1966 and still speak some Swahili
though I have little chance to use it usually.
Deborah, it turns out, knows some too! What
fun life is!
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