linda-gabriel
Linda Gabriel, born in 1985, is one of the crop of exciting female performance poets to emerge out of Zimbabwe. Bilingual, her linguistic versatility is forged into brilliant poems written in either English or Shona, depending on which language effectively expresses what issue. The 29-year-old powerful orator has been hooked on performance poetry since high school in 2001 and has since participated in major literary events in Zimbabwe, the rest of southern Africa and Europe. Mostly her work celebrates womanhood and its challenges. She uses the stage to tell untold stories and address taboo matters.
After seeing you off
The thoughts of the three hours that had passed
Lingered on vividly on mind
I could almost see your lips shaping into that smile
The smile you paraded the first night we met
The aroma of black coffee stuck on the strands of my dread locks
I took you with me to Kororo,
One of the villages by the sea in Zanzibar
Here I learnt to dance kidumbaki
How they shook their waists fascinated me
Their upper bodies remained motionless
In awe I sat there marveling at how all ages engaged in this dance
They told me, kidumbaki is in their blood
Even 3 year olds know how to dance
As I learnt the dance I imagined you being the man on my behind
I felt your hands on my waist
With each twist your drew closer
And we got down together in slow motion
Our waists became twins, riding on the same rhythm
I almost felt your heavy breath on my left shoulder
As my back eased on your *****
I danced with you in spirit
Mar 20, 2015
Mar 20, 2015 at 7:41 AM UTC
Just in 5 days of being in Zanzibar
I have concluded that a pair of jeans in this heat is not working
By midday my jeans are moist and heavy from my sweat
Seated on my workstation I can feel the sweat forming in between my thighs
And running down my legs
All the time my jeans have saved me
But not on this trip
I still have 56 more days on this island
I need to buy me some kanga or chitenge
Mar 16, 2015
Mar 16, 2015 at 4:37 AM UTC