Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Ignatius T. Mabasa

War 2

War!
War? Where? Who? Why?
Woe you mean!

War don’t make no sense
When you fight ghosts and shadows
Fight ghosts and shadows
For a cause you don’t know,
A cause you can’t explain to your children’s children.

I lost an arm and an eye
But it don’t matter anymore
Maggots got their share.

Go away, leave me
To nurse my hangover
Privately, forlornly!
Leave me alone
with my absence.

Hondo 2

Hondo 2

Hondo!
Hondo? Kupi? Yaani? Yei?
Hondo indondo!

Hondo hairevi chinhu
Kana uchirwa nezvipoko nemimvuri
Mimvuri nezvipoko
Asi usingazive chikonzero
Usingakwanise kuzotsanangurira vazukuru.

Ndak pano, ndisiyei
Ndisiyei nditeerere chirungurira changu
Ndisina anondinetsa
Ibvai, endai, ndisiyei . . . apfurwa ruoko neziso
Asi kwandiri hazvichina basa
Nekuti honye dzakadya, dzikakora

Chibvai
Close

War 2

War!
War? Where? Who? Why?
Woe you mean!

War don’t make no sense
When you fight ghosts and shadows
Fight ghosts and shadows
For a cause you don’t know,
A cause you can’t explain to your children’s children.

I lost an arm and an eye
But it don’t matter anymore
Maggots got their share.

Go away, leave me
To nurse my hangover
Privately, forlornly!
Leave me alone
with my absence.

War 2

War!
War? Where? Who? Why?
Woe you mean!

War don’t make no sense
When you fight ghosts and shadows
Fight ghosts and shadows
For a cause you don’t know,
A cause you can’t explain to your children’s children.

I lost an arm and an eye
But it don’t matter anymore
Maggots got their share.

Go away, leave me
To nurse my hangover
Privately, forlornly!
Leave me alone
with my absence.
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Prins Bernhard cultuurfonds
Lira fonds
Versopolis
J.E. Jurriaanse
Gefinancierd door de Europese Unie
Elise Mathilde Fonds
Stichting Verzameling van Wijngaarden-Boot
Veerhuis
VDM
Partners
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