Frank Bana Poems

Don't be alarmed this night, my Love,
I just needed some time on my own
I needed to know how the desert looked
After the shy summer rains had fallen
...

I wish I were a vegetarian
I'd sleep a little easier
Without dead sheep to count
Brushing my teeth, not watching out
...

Maybe this will be the last journey
And I will not return again
Riding down to the stony beach
Where spring once was gentle
...

Don't come here looking for poetry
Who gave you permission to peek?
Who issued a licence to investigate?
I'm not hiding anything new or unique
...

So the African Union hosts Mugabe
Ian Khama sits down with Mugabe (*)
Thabo Mbeki sits down with Mugabe
John Kufuor sits down with Mugabe
...

The night is colder since the rain
The light is dimmer than expected
Wet leaves clinging to the window-pane
...

I remember it well, that morning at school
When another 8-year-old boy enquired
Did I know the names of the Beatles - the who?
John and Paul..... who else left to know?
...

Twice a week in break of dawn
While the stars are outstanding
I screw the plastic lids on tight
Moles and chipmunks might get in
...

I saw myself lonely, abandoned, foresaken
My scars ripped wide open, my self-belief shaken
I asked for a dollar, they gave me a token
I called for my justice, the scales were all broken
...

And now my love the terror
Is surrounding everything
Even the red wheelbarrow
The trembling of the sky
...