Is it Necessary to be Nasty to Fix the Sewerage Pipes
For Robert Mugabe Feb. 21, 1924 – Sept. 6, 2019
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old as he was
how surprising it was
to hear he has died
end of a life, end of a time
a long life, a long time
a life of dissent
to say, I object and not care
who he offended takes courage
to live and be
unpopular with so many
in so many constituencies
in the powerful countries
of the world
to be as stubborn as that,
as Fidel Castro, as Lee Kuan Yu
but
it cost him, his country,
his people economically,
it cost his country its currency
when it came to be worthless
it was replaced, at one time
with South African Rands
and after with dollars of the USA
what conviction, how tenacious
that he seemed not to be affected
by embarrassment nor humiliation
he believed in himself, in his stance
he would if he could, singlehandedly,
break the back
of the idea of white superiority
he was not going to be one
to bow down to it
to genuflect, to accept
it was equality that
he wanted established,
restored, that he wanted to bring about
without waiting centuries
for people of Africa and of
African descent to evolve
his life, a revolution even if of one
he’d be an upheaval
like when/like what
nature throws up
without caring what was spat or spewed
or what or who was crushed
in the rage, in the wave
or when earth opens up
what can be achieved
when our aim
is to be nice, to be liked
when these govern
our decisions, our actions
oh, the beauty that follows after
or that is attached to disaster
the cataclysm that resulted
in what is now Victoria Falls
how phenomenal, how awesome
and with what power
nature spreads its wings
and commences to fly
all the planets in the universe in orbit
in our short lives, fewer usually
than 100 years to live,
leaves little or no time
to be nice, to be liked, to be shy
© Obediah Michael smith, 2019
circa 12:45 PM Friday 6.9.19
