A Fragile Accord Poem by Kenneth Maswabi

Life gives us an umbilical cord
Feeding us from our mother’s womb
Until the day we are born
When the cord is cut
And the stump remains
Until it shrinks into a small pit
Sometimes a mound of flesh
A forgotten source of life
Permanently imprinted
On our belly

Life gives us a heart
A sacred womb full of emotional pearls
The chemical twins of emotions
Growing in our hearts
The first in line is love
Or sometimes hate
Love is oozed from our mother’s breast
The warmness of her eyes
Love is born out of love

Hate is dished by every slap on the cheek
Permanently embroidered in our hearts
Only to suffice in times of need
When wounds are reaped open
And the heart is a raging river of emotions
The flood of hate wreaks havoc
To the unsuspecting souls
Hate is born out of abuse

The silent child with those innocent tears
Screams in pain as hate is transplanted
Surgically embedded within their hearts
Hate is a chemical monster with many roots
Submerged in the deepest end of the chemical sea


Love will turn away
The raging storm of hate for a while
And keep the black clouds at bay
Until the rupturing eyes
Pours out a tear
And hate is reborn
Out of the depth of an emotional wasteland

Love is born out of love