Poem

Albert Nyathi

Side by side

Welcome to Zimbabwe (land of contradiction)

Once colonised in 1890
Uncolonised in 1980
This is the land of contradictions my friends
Where you will meet,
The laughing hyaenas and the crying children
The chattering monkeys and thr roaring lions,
Where you will meet the doubting eagles in the sky
And the hissing snakes in the grass
Visitor, welcome to Zimbabwe.
This is where you meet
The bleating sheep and the hooting owls
The croaking frogs and the barking, yelling,yelping,
Shouting baboons!
Visitor, welcome to Zimbabwe

This is where the Zambezi water slowly crushes its way
Towards the Indian Ocean, and you would hear the gushing of mad waters
Down the Victoria Falls, vomiting fish and crocodile,
From its overloaded stomach,
"Hey you selfish Zambezi,
Why do you feed your stomach too much, when others are hungry?"
Victoria falls, Mosi Oa Tunya , the Smoke that Thunders.

Mzilikazi quietly sleeps at Entumbane in Matopos side by side
With Rhodes the rival who arrived for a rest here
Nehanda spirit roams around Mazoe among the orange plantations
In Nyanga the deep waters have no word to say except the mist and the mistry abound

This is where you meet, Harare the city of one who does not sleep-Haa-rare!
UBulawayo, umafavuke njengedabane - the city of Kings!

And now Zimbabwe is aculturated
It is a boiling pot of countless cultures,
It is a hotch potch a wish wash.
And because of the media American culture is tops
Amongst the Zimbabwean youth,
Everywhere you go its \'yo-man\'
Even to mum and dad in the country side.

Welcome to Zimbabwe.