I am There, and There I Remain

By Raïs Neza Boneza

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The Promises pass by mouth to mouth. Like palm wine, tainted, almost reaching the final thirst of the drunkard of political propaganda. A large dose of poisonous wine fed to an entire, vulnerable people to deepen their eternal ignorance.

The earth is in misery. All around, hypocrisy guides spirits, and the souls beneath bleed out of hate. The family cell has already been infected. Clan nepotism kills my homelands like the Ebola virus. In our regions, we create enemies against ourselves. Neighbours, friends, brothers, men and women: we are all enemies to one another. And in the end, we are left alone in the solitude of immorality. But I am there…

Aaaaaaaaaaaah…a sudden growl

Startled, I jump away from the abyss of my confused thoughts. The voice that clearly rages against the tedium of an entire world. Cloistered in the grave of hope, there is nothing more astounding than the grievances of humans in disarray. One is stifled, and one survives. The heat is sudorific. In this place the imagination is great, and we dream of snow, that graceful northern dust we can only see its reflect on the high peak of the mount Ruwenzori. It is a place of sublime freedom, where our souls take off in astral flight towards the highest reaches of freedom. Here, we are creators. We are gods and goddess in a paradise that no executioner can take from us. Our Dreams. It is a place of suffering and sorrow.

And I am there…

I am a criminal, sentenced of being myself, the son of my mother and of my father; what will I be tomorrow? Yet, tomorrow doesn’t exist. And today is the heritage of the times that have come before. The world where one revolution follows another in endless succession; a world shaped by fear and terror.

And there I remain

There was a moment when my friend of misfortune stared wordlessly at me; by his pale beard it was clear that he had been taken in as a honourable guest in this home of torments. His dry eyes pierce my pounding heart. He looks at me, a smile appears on his face; and then, a tremendous burst of laughter. A shiver of coldness passing through my body snuggled into the deepest corner our area. He suddenly becomes quiet, invoking a chaotic silence. He points a finger and says to me:

You haven’t done anything either, eh?