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Arinda Onesmus Poem
BROTHER I SAW BLACK BOARDS…
Brothe,r don’t ask why…
When I linger in a little longer in bed
Just know I saw blackboards
When I seem to have forgotten your ways
Just know I saw blackboards
When my opinion from yours differs ..,
Just know I saw blackboards
When I can’t join in on your drinking spree
Just know I saw blackboards…
When the language I speak is strange to you
Just know I saw blackboards
When to the family gods I sacrifice no more
Forgive me… I saw Black boards
Strange my life is…
Just know I saw blackboards.
Copyright © Arinda Onesmus | Year Posted 2016
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Arinda Onesmus Poem
BROTHER YOU LIED TO US…
When we listened to your campaign speech…
We knew we had our own gotten
When we lined up to vote for you
We knew we had ours voted…
When you promised us representation
We our craving whetted
But alas brother you lied to us!!
When you walked on foot on your campaign trail
We knew we had our own found
But when the motorcar allowance was given
You purchased a posh one
Our concerns forgotten…
We hear you attend parliament no more
You speak only to determine your allowance
That now you spot a pot belly
That you hung out at the Serena
Oh brother you lied to us
Yet we knew we had ours voted
Next you come for our votes to solicit
Knock not at my door
For you lied to us.
Copyright © Arinda Onesmus | Year Posted 2016
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Arinda Onesmus Poem
THE KILLER IN A WATER POT
In the corner stood the water pot
Standing on a grass ring it held firm
Its inner walls slippery with growing algae
For years it held water
A thirsty lad would run to
Just to quench his thirst
So vital to life but often ignored
That when the cobbler slithered its way into the pot
The intrusion went unnoticed
The killer intruder a home found
When the lads refilled the pot it joyed in the cool
At night it prowled the kitchen
The mice its food became
And indeed in length and size it grew
Its black skin in tandem with the dark pot
A camouflage provided…
All broke loose when the water ran low
A thirst lad dipped his hand into the pot
For a refreshing cup to draw
The startled slither struck at the hand
The venom from the bite strong enough to slay the lad
A glorious day turned gloomy as the boy breathed his last
The hunt was on to kill the killer…
Copyright © Arinda Onesmus | Year Posted 2016
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Arinda Onesmus Poem
COURAGE MY FRIEND THE DEVIL WILL DIE
I see your eyes are crimson
And your voice is hoarse
You have lamented far too long, all hope seems lost
No one seems to care about your afflictions...
Yesterday you went to Mulago but doctors were on strike
The other day you couldn’t get your pension because it was never there
But take courage my friend…the devil will die
The corruption will cease and all will be well
The government programs will sail
The roads will be built to last
The teachers will teach their children
What is yours shall be deprived you not
The corrupt shall be tried
And the vice shall cease
All shall be well because we will it to be
Then shall you call me and pat me on the back
For the devil shall be dead and all will be well.
Copyright © Arinda Onesmus | Year Posted 2016
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Arinda Onesmus Poem
ALL A MAN HAS GOT…
As I grow weary and my mind fades
I sit and muse about all I have in life
Silver and gold are not mine for they belong to the sovereign
The wealth I have accumulated can’t buy me life
All the trouble I have been through seems not worth it
So listen to me my friend
Listen to what life has taught
That all a man has is his word
For if you can keep your word then you can keep friends
If you can keep your word then you can win hearts
But if your word be loose...
Then shall your morals be loose
Your friendship shall be but only fart in the wind
For a short time shall you keep your friends
Until they realize you can’t keep your word then shall they desert you
Keep your word my friend it’s all you got.
Copyright © Arinda Onesmus | Year Posted 2016
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Arinda Onesmus Poem
HOW THEN SHALL YOU REMEMBER ME
As I saunter through this life
Knowing that today I am but tomorrow I shall not be….
I halt and ponder…
How those after me shall remember I was.
That is why I determine to live like a saint
That that is not given me I shall not take
Another man’s property I shall not covet
My life shall be simple and my soul shall not be defiled
That when I stand before my creator my soul shall be pure
If the rest be corrupt I shall not be
You shall remember me by my straight deeds
You shall know that among us dwelt a man pure at heart
A man whose ways could not be corrupted;
A man who truly was righteous,
So when you see me in the world next…
You shall know my place at the table of saints I deserve.
Copyright © Arinda Onesmus | Year Posted 2016
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Arinda Onesmus Poem
SAVO
When the rest fought in mockery…
There arose one determined to see through the fight
While the rest to their fate resigned,
He refused to conform,
To begin from zero he determined.
So he could rescue the enclave economy
Not only the economy but the people too
From the dictatorial juntas of then…
A few men he chose and schooled in propaganda
To the jungle they went with guns not enough to go around.
Driven by nothing but patriotism
Their sails filled by the winds of passion
Like any guerilla fighter… hungry he went
By the mercy of the masses he survived
Many a bullet for him took in the Luwero triangle
God bless their benevolent souls.
As the rest mused about his ability to disappear
He knew it was for sheer luck that he survived
He loved the nation that much
He risked all he had so we could get all we have
Savo
God bless your heart.
Copyright © Arinda Onesmus | Year Posted 2016
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Arinda Onesmus Poem
WE WERE NEIGHBOURS
Though my memory fade and my sight become hazy
I shall remember...
None can forget the rumble of the guns
Neither the red skies that hovered over Kabale
Nor the air thick with the smell of gun powder
O forget how you arrived at our door steps
With the little property you had hastily packed
Yes we were neighbors…
We let you in without asking why
We shared our food without knowing your names
We cared not for your names but for your lives
Until you were fed and rested then did we ask the questions
Then did we learn that your own brothers had turned against you
We were dumped by the ghastly betrayal...
We reminisced and sympathized with you
And when it all ended, we celebrated with you
Yes we were neighbors.
Copyright © Arinda Onesmus | Year Posted 2016
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Arinda Onesmus Poem
SO BROTHER YOU SAW BLACK BOARDS
Them that have made you a stranger to your people
Them that have made you an alien among your own
I hear you saw blackboards…
And indeed they changed you
For you have lost touch with your roots;
Nothing that mattered to you before matters now
To the elders you bow no more,
The seasons are meaningless to you,
You slumber during the rains…
And loathe the heat of harvest time
Yes brother you have seen black boards
But if a stranger to my own people seeing blackboards would make me,
Then I would rather not see them….
You saw black boards but they turned you white
Wish they had made you blacker…
That the values of you own people you would cherish
That that that matters to your own would matter to you
Oh brother you have seen black boards.
Copyright © Arinda Onesmus | Year Posted 2016
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Arinda Onesmus Poem
BROTHER I HEARD YOUR WAR CRY
Yes my old friend I had your challenge
I couldn’t help but laugh it off….
You who just cut your teeth yesterday
You I saw soil your under gametes
You I saw take your first steps…
Now you have the guts…
To think you have wit enough
Wit to challenge us
Us schooled and skilled in the art
Us that breathe and live by wit…
Is but the greatest foolery if you my opinion seek
Brother I heard the challenge…
Cower not when the time comes
Let’s make our ancestors proud
I shall with my pen come
Let’s duel.
Copyright © Arinda Onesmus | Year Posted 2016
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