My Village Poem by Dr. Ahmed Gumaa Siddiek

It is a long time since
I left my African Village
And to town I made my the passage
With a bundle of clothes
That was all my luggage
Then to school on foot
With little money
And some crusts of food
To begin the journey of my learning
At my boyhood
II
There I met nice people on the road
All with new clothes
Women with new shining eyes
Laughing with new ivory teeth
Healthy boys in new heavy boots
Young girls with long beautiful curls
And new bright shoes
III
Oh, my village
At the back of my head is your image
To which I always long and long
Hovering as a beautiful song
A song at the back of my head
A song that will never fade
IV
And beyond there I can see
I can clearly see
The green moors lay ahead of me
And a herd of sheep
Grazing on the green bed
And a she-donkey with a nodding head
Followed by an ass
And a cry of pain from a young lass
She was hit on the skull
By her naughty bull
And another cry coming from the east
And a dog barking in the west
V
There I can see
I can clearly see
A train of women coming from the pool
Different women from all ages
Coming from the pool
Some are stout and some are small
Some are short, some are tall
Some look so smart
Some look like a fool
Women from all walks
Coming from the pool
But they are all
With happy faces and smiles
Though they fish water from a distant mile
With heavy tins on their heads
Dropping on their bare breasts
Beating their dancing waists
All chatting in high voices
That can easily be heard
But low pitches are used
then some gossips are said
VI
There I can see
A young girl and a little boy
Taking care of their herd
And some old ladies
At the back of their huts
Muttering some strange words
Growing maze and peanuts
And there is my grandma
Busy with her pots
Cooking our evening meal
I cannot tell but I can feel
What she is cooking for us
And there is my granddaddy
In the thorny fence
Cleaning his donkeys' remains
VII
Oh my village what beauty is that
When the moon is full and fair
With little stars and freshly air
And the weather is cool
as rain begins to fall
On the lusty sand dunes
At my village in lately Junes
Then happiness befalls on all
And beyond there I can see
The green hills of Kordofan
Shooting very high
With pride in the sky
And clouds hanging above
Like a canopy of care and love
Covering the sand dunes of Kordofan
VIII
And on the far horizon I can see
A fleet of migrating birds
Black and white in fleet or pairs
Coming to dwell and free
As usual on my granddaddy's tall tree
And make thoughtful dialogues
All the night, then go to sleep
I can see the white bird stealing
From the black one a little cane
To build a nest for her children
IX
Oh my beautiful Village
There I can see my mates on their donkeys
To the market with local products
To sell their groundnuts
Happy all the day
Chatting all the way
Speaking all the time
But no one would wait
To listen to his mate
Cracking jokes
Some are out of date
And some are obscene,
If no adult is observed
Or appears on the scene
X
I can see the evening approaching
With glimmering sun
And tall shadows on the grounds
Sketching some beautiful fun
On the sand dunes
Then night falls
Where nothing can be heard
But some cows within the herd
Lazily chewing their food
Or a pool of dogs assembled
At some hot bitches
Making some hideous pitches
And some mews of cats
Busy on secret acts
And some are chasing rats and yell
In the back yard of my field
And a lion far away cuts the silence
With a big roar from the hill
XI
Oh my beautiful village
Then the night comes with peace
Tranquility falls on every piece
Except of some giggling sounds
Leaking from a hut far away
Of a newly married couple
Happily giggling all the night
Up to the daylight
Enjoying their honeymoon with full delight
And when all the villagers
Go to their farms by day
The couple will turn away
To go to sleep all the afternoon
Till the next dawn
That is their honeymoon
In an African Village