Come Here, Go Away, Be Quiet Poem by Sarah Mkhonza

Two word phrases of meanness,
That are heard by children,
Always imperatives similar
To those you hear from a boss,
From hell never preceded by
the tentativeness of the timid
but blasted as if its thundering.
And lightning right on your head.

This bullying by mamas who never,
Say the word they teach that gets,
Everybody moving spelt p-l-e-a-s-e,
Means learn to speak out about being
Talked to like that and stand your
Ground for your baby days are over
When your eyes looked at her and wished
After you carried out the command.
She would say a word that also has,
two phrases, that 'thank you, ' that
even if followed by no wink makes,
You feel somebody cares.

The middle phrase 'go away, ' even
When mediated by a word of kindness,
Remains a pain for it is one where
There is no return to the distance,
Implied for it thunders and goes
Deep inside with meanings that yell
Being unwanted and thrown into,
The dumpsters of the question not
Answered which asks, 'Go away where? '
For the mind needs to know
Destinations when journeys are
Implied.

These limitless wrongdoings that
Have accompanied existence always,
Need to have us sit down and have
A tete-a-tete with Almighty Trump,
For he has said he will build a wall
Because he never said 'come here, '
To the immigrants of these New Knighted
States. President elects also need
To have a lesson in how to kiss the
Hand of a fool before they are led,
Into the oval office for who knows,
If the fool holds the keys to the
Master bedroom where Lincoln slept,
And room only opens with a
combination that says kiss my hand.

Violence of words told to a people
Is bad for it cannot be taken back
After it damages how they walk, talk
And think about themselves and the
Earth on which they walk. They once
said countries are like babies
But now we see that babies are like
Countries and mothers act like presidents
And spill out trumped-up orders
Each time they blow their horn
Using trumpets as instruments of
Justice just to prove they can do it
And get away with it.