Life Through My Eyes

He loves you out of pity Yes, he does You are not anything he desires Far from his dream woman Far from what he is proud to call girlfriend or wife You keep throwing yourself at him You are always in his face You try to be relevant He is not willing to notice you But like a fart smell, you are always there   He starts to notice desperacy Then he realises  He realises, it could be more than that He sees the fire of destruction burning within you He starts to think you might burn what he cherishes  He draws back and lets his love slide so he can put the fire out You are vile You are an aggressive woman He loves you out of pity He thinks he can change you He is on a mission  You have become his mission His little lab rat He thinks you might be his success story The man who put out the fire of a wicked woman People will sing his praises, he believes He tries to love you, but he can't He feels nothing for you His heart belongs with another Can't you see? He is never satis...

Dear red! How I loathe and love you! How I long for you and dread you! How I sit eagerly at the edge of the bed waiting for your arrival! I scream in excitement when you peep But there are days I don't want you here When you come,   My heart sinks I cry out my eyes For you shouldn't have come, and now I am here... You leave me devasted I love you and loathe you dear red Ohhh red! PC: The internet Through the eyes of AYENYO Joanita

Small huts cramped together like small mushrooms known as Okinyo in the Acoli language Hungry and miserable faces of the young, middle-aged, and the elders Amidst the small huts are the latrines, urinals, and bath shelters You want to stretch your legs You might kick your neighbor’s pot on the fire Life is so rough and miserable   The common talk in the camp is; The world food My card is lost The ratio given the other day was so meager The camp commander has not written my name Yesterday fire broke in zone C, today in zone A, the other day in zone D   Hooo, when shall we talk of development? Other districts and regions are so far ahead while the north is nowhere near Days come and go Weeks after weeks Months come, months go One year after the other No going back home Elders are dying one by one Who will lead the young to their respective villages?   Oh dear us, We are lost in this jungle PC: The internet Through the ...

  Peace Peace P-e-a-c-e I am now 19 years old My mother tells me that you were once here She tells me what they used to do when you were around I try to imagine what you look like, but... Your image doesn't come I open my eyes wide to capture your image, but I don't see you Ee peace, where have you gone? Beyond the horizon? What kind of transport do you need to come back with? Should the new generation only hear about you and not enjoy your company? My mother tells me they used to move long distances at night I only think that she is crazy She tells me they used to sleep outside during the dry season I tell her to stop daydreaming Your absence has made us miss a lot of fun Ahhh... Peace delegations have sat at round tables to discuss how best you can return  The young and old generations are longing for in an equal measure Please do come We need you badly Soldiers have hunted for you with guns, but You are nowhere to be found Politicians have called you, but In vain Civilians ...

 Acoli of today is not the Acoli that  was Talk about selfishness, Acoli that was didn't know Whoever came and found people eating would just look for water to wash hands  And join the rest without any formal invitation Talk about poverty Who knew what it was Domestic animals of all kinds Uncountable in every home Foodstuff stored in big granaries Children were the flowers of the compound They were fed by all for they belonged to all Socialisation of the Acoli that was...unspeakable! Youth could spot their lovers from the arena Make proper investigation Make a follow up to home Dances were during broad daylight Dressings were the type that don't hide some abnormalities Photo Credit: Roger Brown Through the eyes of ALOBO Vine Mother to AYENYO Joanita Written in 2007

How beautiful you are! Furnished with all gifts of nature Soil so fertile Food, varieties of delicacies Oh Acoli, my Homeland!   So wonderful a land you are! Beautiful cultural heritage Dances of war, Otole Royal dance, Bwola Courtship, uncountable to mention, but a few Orak, Ajere….   Acoli, my Homeland! All eyes of foreigners are on you Because of what you are Suitable for investors of all kinds That is what you are! Photo of Aruu Falls in Acoli land PC: The internet Through the eyes of ALOBO Vine Mother to AYENYO Joanita Wr itten  in 2007  

  Child predator, I remember you I remember your wry smile It made me sick to the stomach Every time I saw you, I froze I always wanted to run away but I couldn’t   I remember how every time you grabbed me in the dark corridor Lifted and positioned my midsection on your groin and rubbed my body against yours I died every time you did this I remember how every time you would grab me from the same corridor and lift my tender hands to rub your manhood Felt like I needed to cut off my hands Every time I looked down at my hands   I flinched I never felt clean   Then one day Mother left you to take care of me for a few days as she left for some errands out of town She returned and I could barely move You had shattered me in those few nights I sank deeper and deeper Hugged my tiny self tightly but my body shook from excruciating pain as tears welled down my cheeks It went on for days on end Never got better   You disappea...

When you were conceived into your mother’s womb It wasn’t your choice When you were born in your clan It wasn’t your choice When you started to speak It was the local language around you And that was and is your mother tongue Now modern lady, modern gentleman You don’t want to speak your mother tongue to your children You say it is local You don’t want your children to eat Acoli dishes Kwon kal and Akeyo...;  you say, You say they are tasteless, bitter Yet they made you what you are Why kill your culture? The cool thatched huts of the Acoli  You say are outdated  You do not tell stories, riddles, and proverbs to your children Instead, you want them to concentrate on radios, TVs and the internet to learn other people's culture Your tribe is your tribe Your culture is your culture It is a precious gift from the gods Love it, keep it Photo credit: The internet Through the eyes of Alobo Vine Mother to AYENYO Joanita (First written in 2007)