The Wet Evening That Never Was Poem by Phillip Nine Mafunga

The sky looked dark and menacing over Livingstone City
Word was, it was raining cats and dogs over there
Livingstone, the tourist capital of Zambia
Cool, wet air began to blow further south
Further south crossing the mighty Zambezi River

Dark rolling clouds followed across the river
Lightning cris-crossed the northern sky accentuated by roaring thunder
Our temperatures began to drop
Wild pigs filing away into the safety of burrows
Baboons and monkeys huddling together for a very sad and wet evening

Like in Charles Mungoshi's legendary work ‘Waiting for the rain"
Everyone, to their loved ones and those who cared to hear, sent they messages
‘The rains were coming from Zambia" was the message
The whole sky was dark with pregnant clouds
It was now very close, droplets of rain started to hit the ground

What an evening!
We went indoors and waited for the sudden down pour
We waited and waited and waited and waited
Then the wind happened and the clouds miscarried
The story, our story of a wet evening that never was

Mosquitoes began to mobilise for their revolutionary symphony
3 November 2020