An Aged Woman Poem by Fadhy Mtanga

She is left all alone in the village,
She is at the age of ninety seven,
She manages to walk only with a stick,
She is living alone in her house,
But she used to have six children.

Her first born was a son,
Who died during the liberation struggle,
He left no child nor wife at all,
The mother was hurted so much,
But she put hopes on the remaining five.

Her second born was a daughter,
She had married the most cruel man,
She experienced tortures and subordinations,
She died shortly before the baby was to be born,
The mother cried but she had four children.

Her third born was a daughter too,
She was a pilot soon after the college,
The plane was hijacked by the terrorists,
She was killed during the struggle to survive,
The mother now had left with three children.

Her fourth born was a son,
He was a member of the opposition party,
One day political violence filled the city,
So he was shot dead by the police,
So the mother remained with the two.

Her fifth born was a son again,
He was a main line locomotive driver,
The occurance of the head-on collission,
Had killed him instantly,
Letting the mother to have only one hope.

Her last born was a daughter,
The only hope after the loss experience,
The girl was infected by the disease,
She died after suffering for so long,
No more hope to the mother of once being six.