Village boy Impressions

First came the strangers, with maps and flags Invasive, like ants to a feast In wonder, they gazed upon our land– Wide, wild, untouched by fence or boundary Where man, bird and beast roamed free Each belonging to no one but themselves So they called us headless.  We, whose spirits birthed kingdoms? Preposterous! And with swift strokes of the mighty pen, Lines were drawn across our lives and hearts.  As bloodless as it was brutal, it reads: "We hereby claim this land for Her Majesty the Queen!"   But our fathers arose, And fought and bled and won it back But when the invading flags were lowered, New masters emerged from among us: Big men, genteel ladies, pot-bellied tycoons,  Chiefs, or is it 'thiefs'? We know not, Multinational looters and robbers in suits, and the political crooks behind them. "The land does not belong to us; we belong to it, It cannot be sold"! Our fathers said, Now they grieve in their g...

Of a truth was Caesar’ intuition To have fat men about him Such as doth sleep at night. So would I have loud men any day That shout and shake and swear In showing anger or malice That let out peals of laughter When happy or tickled Or cry open bitter tears at need. Of them you may open and read And need not fear of poison darts Or sharp knives deep concealed. Not so the kind that dwell in quiet,   That brood in loud long silences Keeping century-old wrongs dear. That sit up late nursing their envy And all that is dark and sinister Is hoarded in their hungry bosoms. They creep in the shadows unseen Like vipers in the undergrowth, With their lean and hungry look There is no telling their thoughts Nor affection nor ill will Them you must not only fear but run!