The Sound Poem by Isaac Maliya

Every time I hear the sound
Huts turn into infernos
Humanity run amok
As their habitat turn desolate.

Every time I hear the sound
Depopulation is the upshot
Lifespan abruptly truncated
Soil turns scarlet.

Every time I hear the sound
Remnants cross the borderline
Hunting for a sanctuary
As their cradle turn lethal.

Every time I hear the sound
Crows celebrate in their nests
At the sight of fallen humanity
As gunfire turn them edible.

Every time I hear the sound
Livestock robbery grows rampant
Land is neglected absolutely
Factories are abandoned
Economy fall into ruins
Every time I hear the sound.

Dedication: To the Mozambican refugees at Mlangeni and elsewhere, victims of ideological civil strife.

Monday,12th March 1990.
Chapananga, Chikwawa, Malawi.