I Shall Leave.

When, out of exhaustion:
To set hurries the sun,
I will be on toes--
To respond to the call of time.

I shall leave;
With the little I'd have reaped,
On the golden stool of prominence.
I shall leave:
Behind the sacred palm,
My people have tended and irrigated;
With their little sweat and blood.

I will need no cry,
I will need no lambs for sacrifice,
NO!
When the song and rhythm of time go down;
My fragile bones will be aching.
I will dance no more...

Even when omwami calls,
That my hallowed sanctuary above is ready:
To dine and wine for eternity,
I will exhibit no lag,
Thence,
To unburden the burdened;
And settle the unsettled:
I shall leave.
(c) Pius Khisa.

A Valentine Gift.

For a change, my beloved:
A breach from the norm is a necessity.
I'll never feel loved;
With abundant material surety...

These endless safaris to beaches;
These sumptuous dishes in exclusive restaurants;
These countlesss bouquets of roses:
Offered in sheer silence; without even a kiss,
Are ruining me!

I beseech you, son of man,
Save your gold for hungry days ahead,
Or donate to destitutes languishing here.
Tame your ego, and ride not on pride--
It's apart tearing our heart...

To your heart hold me close,
Thrill me with a genuine smile,
As in our veins blood whisper with ease,
Let's dance to songs of time and wind;
Show me love,
Sing me love,
Tend this love--
Long to live;
Even when gone...
(c) Pius Khisa.

Lament of a Bachelor (for Yvonne Nthiana).

Hard I try to forget:
A child I'm of a lesser god;
No wonder you deem me unfit,
Even your hand to hold.
But my heart fails,
It insists:
You are mine Nthiana...

It whines with undying quest,
Deep in my veins the cold cuts.
With haste races my spirit,
Imagining that you'll ever miss:
My charms; and love--
Down from above,
Embrace me warmly,
And be mine Nthiana...

I beseech you, sweetheart:
Should I go nuts and wane,
For me save a piece of your heart.
Indeed I've craved and fought without a win!
Undress... Let me in...
Thence together dig the treasure,
Deep into your vineyard, sweet Nthiana...

Of your soft and sugar-coated lips, let me lick;
Of your fully ripe milk bags, let me fondle and suck,
Let my tongue traverse,
In every corner of your mouth...
Let my fore limbs,
Feel your contours, hair and every bit of you,
As our caged hearts chorus in unison the love anthem;
Let me hear you moan with passion...
And I'll leave the world behind me,
Hold you like a sacrificial egg; a wife to be...
Because I'm deep into you Nthiana!

Till We Meet Again (for Nabwire).

We've come to the end of the road,
And to manoeuvre through the thicket ahead:
I've to leave you behind.
To survive this untimely injustice of fate,
Nabwire, go back to your roots;
Sing and dance to the old tunes,
But pray; before it sets,
I shall return for a wonderful and everlasting re-union.

The Flashlight.

Then, in a world so dark
Each time life
Hummed deadening threats
And I, wrapped in despair
Sighed...
My path you lit
And my heart held tight
But vanished--
Before in your eye I could look
Like a flash, you came.

Towards a Warm Threshold.

Sometimes we stop and sigh,
When the going gets tougher;
And the terrain gets rougher:
Towards a warm threshold.
We falter, fail and cry:
Oh, master, let's die not!

In total submission,
We fold hands and bow,
As lions roar and rule,
This jungle of inhumanity.
Deep they dig down our throats:
their claws,
Silencing us: untamable tongues,
To prey on our possessions...

Their hangmen in courts lie:
To prove our guilt,
And behind bars have us--
Raped, robbed and castrated...

Oh, master, let's die not!

At the shores,
We're abandoned-- hopeless and helpless,
When our star vanished.
We grapple for warmth,
In an eternal wait for another:
To cut through this ageless night,
Away scare the sharks,
So we could wallow through these cold waters:
To Canaan...

We beseech you master:
Desert us not.