BNPA Awards 2010 |
Money
& Culture
Making
Modern Love
We
are not like provincial lovers
Who
wait to stalk funerals
That
bring opportunities of replacing the departed,
Under
the watch of the night, in verdant shambas.
Armed
with cash
We’ll
open our hearts
On
a plate of chips, with a soft drink
Things
to nibble and sip, but not too large to distract
Maybe
chaps? Muchomo and beer later?
Chips
chicken will soften us for now,
And
for future food that you commonly acknowledge is delicious.
If
you should stare in pockets so deep
That the residential wallet is unseen by short
fingers
Soon
enough other networks become sexy,
Offering
side dishes and desserts
For
we’ll soon meet other friends with longer arms
And
stronger charms.
It
is constantly recommended by wily winners
That
going dancing eases misgivings
In
tender bones,
Unlikely
to be tempered by the softness of night lights.
But
if all is careening towards a cold spell
Drinks
should be laid out till we are released from thinking.
I
saw a secondary virgin sobbing at a table for two
Weighed
down by the meanings of disease.
I
saw a man who had become a man
For
he knew now, how close he was to the deceased
and
vaguely inundated with curses of, “Shit happens.”
stumbled
away with thoughts that grew from booze
and the dregs of making modern love.
So
while good things begin to afflict us now
And
beautiful things course through dull heads,
Causing
wings of desire to grow like mushrooms in a mist
Of
opportunity,
At
last. We shall soon make modern love.
Sophie Alal,winner of 2010 BNPA, under the theme, Money and Culture
FRAGRANCE
It’s
the fragrance, mother;
the
intoxicating crispy fragrance
of
colored newly mint coinage.
Sometimes
the shimmering glitter
of
gold or silver.
It
matters not mother
what
figures are imprinted on,
just
the fragrance!
The
fragrance that drives me
to
plunder my core,
to
pillage my country to nothing,
squandering
it to desolation.
The
fragrance that possesses me
to
bare my nakedness to them,
to
vend my soul’s worth,
to
trade my country’s worth!
The
fragrance that devours me
and sparks hunger pangs,
coercing
me to crave and covet theirs
staining
my hands with blood !
It’s
the fragrance mother;
the
musky musty odor
of
old and used notes,
sometimes
the dull hue of coinage
that
quenches my thirst and ardor!
It
matters not mother
what
figures are imprinted on
Just
the fragrance mother!
Just
the fragrance.
Regina Asinde, 2nd winner BNPA 2010 under the theme Money and Culture. More poems by this author here.
THE HUSTLER
He
roughly pushes through the populous kikubo lane.
The
titanic load on the head sinking his neck into his torso forcing his body to
dwarf.
“Fasi..Fasi…”his
mouth cries hoarsely, his tougue licking riverets of sweat off his hard
Muscled
face. His rapid pace slows, at the bounds of the thick crowd, his eyes blindly
staring at the shoes of those in front of him, waiting hopefully for them to
give space.
A
sharp pain cut into his left ear like water puffed through the nose.
The
rhythmical throbbing of his heart climbing to the head
he felt hot. So hot that it hurt….
His
blood boiling at an increased degree.
His
head pounding hard as it swayed upfront and back.
“A
voice was calling….”
His
hands weakened letting loose of the load, suddenly his head felt heavy as his
whole body slipped away from his will to reach his destination,
“Aim
not going to be paid…..” His mind concluded.
He
felt his head thinning, separating from the load at the jet of his breath as he
fell on top of his face.
NakisanzeSegawa, 3rd winner BNPA 2010, under the theme Money and Culture
previously on this blog:
Poetryceremony ~ the theme is Hope
BN Poetry Award ~ Uganda woman poets
Beatrice Lamwaka & Beverley Nambozo Nsengiyunya
forthcoming in the series:
2009 ~ Open Call