Hush me into your reverenceO stillness from the bushespoisoned darts with warmblack eyes arespringing againstthe leaping armsof turreted cars the birds are singingtheir hollow notesthe diamond-eyes arrow the sky and prayers hailthe showers of pea-sizedstones the heaving throat is parchedwith fearin the ice-cold goblet booby-trap boots bustlingacross blank bleeding heapsof the dying and the dead […]
The first cryIs struggleI passed through all stagesToil and sweatAchieved and retiredI look myselfIn mirror full lengthIs this me?I asked.Years tellingGrandfather white headSkin wrinklesI waitedIt cameAnd I die.Funeral rituals doneRemains in shroudFor the cemeteryPut in graveSand toppingMy final homeOther thingsThis point beyondNot known S.K.B. Lazarus EDITOR’S NOTE Originally published in Citizen on 14 Feb 1994, […]