Sheets of tin nailed to posts
driven in the ground
make up the house
Some rags complete
the intimate landscape.
The sun slanting through cracks
welcomes the owner
After twelve hours of slave
labour.
breaking rock
shifting rock
breaking rock
shifting rock
fair weather
wet weather
breaking rock
shifting rock
Old age comes early
a mat on dark nights
is enough when he dies
gratefully
of hunger.
Tochukwu Ezebube is a passionate poet and founder of Poem Collections. With a deep love for African verse and a commitment to sharing diverse poetic voices, Tochukwu curates a rich tapestry of poems that celebrate the beauty of words from Africa and around the world. Join him on this poetic journey at Poem Collections, where the magic of language unfolds.
Gnawing the highway’ s edges, its black mouth Hums quietly: ‘Home, come home …’ Behind its viscous breath the very word ‘growth’ Grows fungi, rot; White mottling its root. More dreaded Than canebreak, quarry ,or sun – shocked gully – bed Its horrors held Hemingway’s hero rooted To sure, clear shallows. It begins nothing….
Background of the poet Mazisi Kunene, one of the most important and influential voices in modern African literature, was born in Durban, South Africa in 1930. He studied at the University of Natal where he took an M. A. He was head of the Department of African Studies in the University College at Roma in…
BACKGROUND OF THE POET Wole Soyinka was born in 1934 at Abeokuta, Western Nigeria. Educated in Nigeria in University College, Ibadan, and at Leeds University in England, he graduated in English Language and Literature in 1958. Wole Soyinka is a versatile person and sings, and acts and produces plays. In addition he is a creative…
Surprising how feelings depend on blood pressure. Electricity in my body prevents me from staying put. And, still, I force myself not to move. Fingers are nervously running across the keyboard. Then the uneven verses turn into day dreams. Your text messages follow me in my steps. I do not wish to keep silent, but…
Awake, thou sleeping heart! Awake, and kiss The love – lorn brow Of this ebon lass, Dear Africa, Whose virgin charms Ensnare the love-lit hearts Of venturing youth From other lands Awake, sweet Africa Demand thy love, Thou sleeping heart! When the all-summer sun Paints the leafy boughs With golden rays, Know then, thou sleeping…
What if time cast its candle into a pit of winds And night extended beyond the brow And wearily the sea hugged the shore And light faltered during the celebrations And I embraced a man’s shadow What if The city departed for another planet And children regained their angelic wings And ballot boxes were abandoned…
