A Lost Poet In Sochi Poem by Edouard BIZIMANA

Alone in my own kind
In the Sochi friendly wind
I thought nobody would mind
A lonely roving man like me,
Wandering Sochi streets.
But, many looked at me in wonder
With mocking smile and car horns, they greeted
Surely, thinking of a new species in town.
Maybe the painting of my skin, they liked,
Or the other way round.
I pretended not to see,
But none of their platitudes did I miss
They are food to the poet's mind
Desperately I wandered my eyes
Searching for a single being of my kind
Only birds seemed not to fear
My footsteps, they did not heed
Maybe they needed someone to feed them
Like those of the humans in search of selfies
With such exotic creatures fallen from the skies.
They did not expect to see nearby
Such a making known to live in Africa
Onlookers' eyes weighing on me
Constantly reminded me I did not belong there
Even though places looked so familiar:
The majestic Ural Mountains
Echoed the great Rusaga and Musenyi Mountains
Where I used to graze cattle.
I almost mistake Sochi Lake
For the famous Tanganyika Lake
Except that there is no Mukeke,
But equally inspiring perfect verses
To people with more than five senses.
Forced smiles coming from winter frozen faces
Whose eyes met mine before fading like dead flowers;
Wholeheartedly, I offered them a smile
To warm up their hearts for a while
Many caught the unique moment,
They knew I was not to stay
Fair enough, they offered me these verses.

Silently I vowed to go back there
To make Sochi people open up
To the world they do not know,
To enjoy the gorgeous Sochi
Whose landscapes remind those of Bujumbura.
I will come back, Sochi
For more verses to feed my mind.