Allowing a wall
Before their rational
Thinking stand,
Inured to their heinous deed
Of every brand,
From head to toe
Involved in corruption grand,
Also while fellow citizens
Gasp for air,
Not giving an ounce of care,
Barefacedly they dare
Unjust war to declare!
"Valorous,wiping you out
We shall make the land bare!"

"Chained, cruel and corrupt
Honest - thieves and cut-throats
Us,to court you took
To punish us by the book
Such a move by hook or crook
We shall abort
Haven't it dawned on you the import?
--the select few
From the palace to port
As autocracy is our wont,
And zone of comfort
If stripped of this right
For us it will not be all right!

Though finger countered,
We hail from an ethnic group,
Marked brave
And which we could mobilize,
As our selfishness and brutality
It seems oblivious to realize.

Though during our hay days
Its plight we failed to mollify
Massaging its ego
The call for unjust war
We shall amplify
Unrepentant ,
We should
Wage a fight.

Though some of us
Are on the run,
As blood is thicker than water,
With the credulous
That fight for us
Emerge victorious we can.
To reinstate
Rule of the gun
On which
The international
Community
Has put a ban.


But
"To flee pang-of-conscience
How fast be the pace?
No need  it is no where in place"

True to
The saying
“The pen is mightier
Than the sword”
To your enemies
Deep-cutting and
Mask-divesting
Were every  of
Your  acerbic satire, also
Bitter-truth packed word.
“To ignore
His pen we ill afford
Nor could we
Fight him back
Word for word.
So covertly
Let us
Strike him  down
With a sword
About his whereabouts
Effacing a word!” they said
Forgetting
As a writer Baalu
Was worth his weight
In gold,
Whose books strangely
In large numbers sold
Though some of them,
To gut down,
They did try to hoard.

For want of
A photocopy machine then
Many were happy
To distribute
A hand-written copy.


Deep when you think,
Your pen when you pick
With it loud to speak,
Your subjects used to jump
Out of their skin
Scared of a basilisk!

Your pen
On your characters' neck
A pain
Was haunting their brain!
Yes your pen
Was their bane!

Dust to dust
You and also your enemies
With their sword
Had hopped on
Death's bandwagon
Yet your pen
Surfing back
The tide of time
Resurfaces again.

Welcome,welcome
White dove
The hatred wall
That estranged cousins
Have begun to fall
When love
Incarnated in white dove
Started to fly high
Over Ethiopian- Eritrean sky.

Welcome,welcome
White dove
You are an antidote
Border dispute to solve.

Welcome,welcome
White dove
Ethiopia's  port problem
Eritrea's financial-return
Challenges
You are sure to dissolve.

Welcome,welcome
White dove
Tourism and trade
Must spur ahead.
So to wipe out
Dislike's filth
Let us put a glove.

Welcome,welcome
White dove
To make up for
Lost resources and chances
Also the two cousins
From dislike to absolve.//

I) Eve

Eve became
Foolishly bold
To give up
Her faith in God.

Exhibiting lust
For a tantalizing apple
She opted to be
A dust;
Heeding a snake-
Incarnated
Devil’s word
“If you eat
The forbidden fruit
You will acquire
Wisdom on par with God.”

Duped by Satan
Unfaithful, disobedient
She turned a reason
For the lapse of man.

For lacking faith
She heard,
With jealousy
Her son Kane
****** Her son Abel
To death!
“Eve tarnished
The image
Of the womenfolk!”
We usually hear
In a religious talk!


II) Saint Mary

From Birth to death
Unwavering was
In God
Saint Mary’s faith.

In her youth,
Blind to earthly
Allurements,
When summoned
To serve God
Happy she drew forth
“Displaying alacrity
To the call of
The Almighty
Is my pleasure
My duty!”

Saint Mary knew
Miracles untold
Is capable to do God.

Acid tested like
Aglow set gold
Threatened by
Herod’s sword
Scorned by hypocrites
Hoary headed Christ killers
Her faith she never
Failed to tightly hold.

In Golgotha
The whiplashes all
Were scars on her soul!

Unlike many of us
It is not like a fiction
Or movie script
She witnessed
Christ’s crucifixion.

She reconciled
Man and God,
Till to date
And down the road
This miracle will be told.

She allowed a pride
Womenfolk could ride.

In the catalog of grace
As she won a higher place
In God’s face
Above angels and
Below God
Is the row
She was
Allowed to hold.

Like Saint Gabriel in the sky
Like Elizabeth on earth
Angels and human beings
Praise her why?
Doubt have not I
She is Holy
In a way description
That defy!

III) Devil

Duping Eve
The control on man
Devil got
Thanks to
Saint Mary ‘s obedience,
Before he realized  
The mystery of incarnation,
He lost.

For via
God- Saint Mary’s
Chemistry mankind
Is snatched from
Devil’s grip and fold.

To retaliate
To belittle
Saint Mary
Still a python
A snake,
A sanctimonious preacher,
A faithful
That has gone astray
Devil makes
A frantic bid to date.
In various religious forms
He seeks a vent
To disgorge
His hate.
Oblivious to
The ******'s word
“Generations will
Call me
The graceful, the immaculate…”

IV) God

Via Saint Mary
Once more
The Almighty God
Drew close
Mankind to his fold!

“For use and throw
God use Saints!”
Is the worst mistake
Believers  could make
Eating the poisonous cake
Devil in various
Religious forms bake.///

Life -->Death

"Why do
People see your
Behaviour uncouth?"

Death-->Life

"It is simple
You are
A savoury falsehood,
While I am
A bitter truth!"

What a fall from grace
The untrustworthy
Are doomed to face!

To polling stations
Going out in droves,
With their unanimous voice,
Electors made clear their choice-
“A  breath of fresh air
Would be fair! ”
But as a democracy patrons
Also democracy vendors,
You thought-
“Better an old Satan
Than an angel new born,
The heart of a new angel,
We may not crack open!”

As peace brokers,
To dissuade voters
You dinned into their ears,
“Democracy is a process!
Thus it entails
The gradual unfolding of rights!
Specially in developing nations,
It is tardy in striking roots!”
You also went to say
“The ill-favoured government ,
Though by ballot card made out of play
And adamant to let power away,
A midwife to self-determination
Had paved the way
For the fairness you enjoy today.
Imagine the price it had to pay!”
Tirelessly you pleaded voters
To see reasons
And give the government
A time-out and stalemate,
Also to let it take part
In a joint government!
The hardest way
What people learnt today
Is democracy is indeed a process
That could suffer setbacks,
Or experience a lapse
And down clutters
A tyranny abyss!

Double dealers
Now as a democracy undertaker
You venture to offer
A hearse,
What a farce!

As history
Recorded it in its annals
Go ahead fish in troubled water,
By your very nature
You are capable
To do nothing better!

History has it that
“United we stand
Divided we fall!”
Was the secret
That helped
The victorious
            stand tall.

Similarly A,b...Y and z
Ethnic groups all
Some major,while some
In number small
For ages were
          on the ball
Whenever there is a call
Eveready nation's
     development spur
Or aggressor to deter.

Pursuant of a trick
“Divide and rule!
Fish in a troubled water
Putting siblings asunder”
The formula for the cruel, z
Tried to thwart A,b...Y's
social fabric
Not sparing a single brick.

An upstart  z drove a wedge
Among A,b....Y, on the sly.
But they asked “Dissension why?”
Isn't UNITY what in our
Formative years we bought!
And together they went
For z's throat
To deprive it the devilish power

it terribly sought
Now z is fighting a
             battle lost
What a lesson  it got!

"Let us put
Our hands together for you
Go ahead
Your view we second,
For ideas grow in a mind fecund!"
A support it was reckoned.

Contrariwise,recently
As it may sound sad
By a phony party
It turned out a fad
"Let us not stop to clap
Your freedom of speech
In the face to slap!"

What a mishap
What a mishap
Childish and selfish
Politicians are being seen
Wearing more than one cap--
Sometimes the constitution
On the back they tap
But, often they misconstrue,
Trample on it
Or use it as a trap--
Pursuant of evil ends
With the federal government
They adore to create
A rift or a gap!

A university  gets  off track
If it allows party members
Infest it
Freedom of speech to attack.

Though graying
Head and brow,
He developed not
Gray matter
To every one's sorrow!

Meeting a stranger
In a bus station
A housewife became
Tempered to cheat
On her husband
"It is alright
As it will be
One night stand!"

She found
The adulterous fling
A nice thing
Which must be kept going.
She began to say
"What could  my husband
possibly bring?"

The couples marriage
Went dangerously awry
When the husband continued
To beset her by
"Why, Why,...Why?"
"Didn't we vow
To stay united
Till we die?
I am afraid
In a fit of rage
I could make a revenge!"

The man who wandered into
Her life off guard to wholesale
Posses her
Continued to demand.
"After lunch we could
Attend a music band,
Before dinner
We could go to a cinema
In the village yonder,
For breakfast
We must drive
To the shore fast!

In vain she began to lament
"Do not hesitate
My peevish husband
Could 2 in 1 pierce us
With a bullet!"
So how can we
Go to another village
Or open
A new page?
Keep we better
Things under cover."

By the time
She got home with a bruise
And a fictitious answer
For ready use
To be accompanied by
The usual
"Give me a break?"
In their bedroom
She found her husband
With a noose
Around his neck
Written on his face
'Give me a break!"

Ironically
The rope was
The self same tie
Up on their marriage
She gifted him
"Forget you
I shall not
Till I die!"

A girl friend

You used to relish
Proving my-fullfield wish!

A wife**

You prove furious
And adamant
Unless you control
Every which of
My act!

Salivating at
His wife's best friend
"You are cute,
irresistible, mesmeric
... "
Her ears
He kept on to bend
Flower banquets to
Her house
He made a point to send.
At the end she said
" The day after
Tomorrow on the sly
Come to my home
True to your desire
You shall enjoy
The fruit you admire!
In the chimney
Igniting fire
Putting off the light
I will let you
Take delight.

To make tempting
The record moment
Of happiness under the blanket
I will put on nothing.
Like a banana minus a skin
I will let you a  felicity
You had never seen."

In the dim light
Quickly naked
He jumped into the bed.
He made haste
As he has no time to waste.

"What a sweet mango apple
That could be enjoyed by a couple
My dove
It is only you I love.
Had I though
I loved somebody else
My life was in a mess."

A resounding slap
That accompanied
"A cheater go to hell!"
Rang in his head a bell.

It was  with his wife
He slept in her friend's bed.

Double crossed
Crest fallen he began to
Hit the road
Telling himself
"I am a sod!"

While waiting
For a taxi
By a roadside
A young and  
An energetic lad
Came and
Without courtesy
Pushed me aside
To take a ride
Hopping on
A minibus taxi,
Only for one
Occupant
A place had.

Before ebbs out
My vexation
Another taxi
Drew my attention.

I hopped in
Condemning a grave sin
The lad's action--
"Where is
his sense
of decorum,
Preached on
Religious and
Cultural forum?"

Fast, the second taxi
Almost caught up
With the first,
Which got out of sight
To be stopped
By a traffic light.

Out of a sudden
I heard a deafening blast
That accompanied
Orange tongues of light
While the first taxi
Soared up like a kite.

With no need
To ask why
Such a thing
Happen out of
A clear blue sky
Occupants and I
Out of our taxi
Managed to fly,
For we were
TV sensitized
To keep an open eye
Of terrorist that vowed
To operate on the sly.

Though sad
That cursed lad
Snatched death
From my hand!

Ravishingly beautiful
On top of that
God-fearing and cool!
What do I care
Electrified and petrified
Unable to resist her pull
At a loss how
My senses to pool
Up on catching her sight,
A wind-beaten leaf,
Shaking all over
I prove a fool?

Shall I be a chameleon?

In a way that
Makes observers sick,
Shall I uncunningly
Side the slick?

Shall I optimize my chance
Echoing both
The good or wrong stance
Of who by unfair means
Seized the rein of power
And hence benefits
Will not be loath
On me to shower?

A chameleon,
Reflecting my surrounding
Shall I be
Self serving
As it has become
Nowadays a common thing?

Shall I be an ermine ?

Keeping my professional
And self integrity
And cleanliness
True to my conscious
To the extent of
Facing an unfolding adverse
Shall I distance
My self
From being
A false witness
On my colleagues
And neighbours?

Your hearts are filled with happiness so great and over-
flowing
You cannot comprehend it, for it’s far beyond all knowing
How any heart could hold such joy or feel the fullness of
The wonder and the glory and the ecstasy of love.
You wish that you could capture it and never let it go
So you might walk forever in its magic, radiant glow.
And love in all its ecstasy is such a fragile thing,
Like gossamer in cloudless skies or a hummingbird’s
small wing.
And love that lasts forever must be made of something
strong-
The kind of strength that’s gathered when the heart can
hear no song.
When the sunshine of your wedding day runs into stormy
weather,
and hand in hand you brave the gale and climb steep
hills together,
And, clinging to each other while the thunder rolls above,
You seek divine protection in faith and hope and love.
For days of wine and roses never make love’s dreams
come true-
It takes sacrifice and teardrops and problems shared by
two
To give true love its beauty, its grandeur, and its fi-
nesse,
And to mold an earthly ecstasy into heavenly divine-
ness.

ፍቅረኞች ሲጋቡ

ፍቅር እስተአፉ ሞልቶ ሲፈስ፣
እንዴት እንደዚህ ያለ መንፈስ፣
የመፍለቅለቅ ስሜት የሚያጭር፣
ሐሴት የሆነ ሚስጢር፣
ልባችሁ አጭቆ እንደሚያምቅ፣
ይላችኋል ድንቅ!
አጥብቃችሁ ይዛችሁት፣
አትፈቅዱም ልትለቁት፣
በምትሐቱ የፀሐይ ጨረር
በደንብ ለመንሸርሸር!
ፍቅር ቢሆንም ስሜት የፍንደቃ
ነገር ነው ቶሎ የሚነቃ -
እንደ ድርጭት ክንፍ መሳይ፣
ወይ እንደ ሸረሪት ድር
በዳመና አልባ ሰማይ!
ለዘላቂ ፍቅር ጥሬ እቃ!
መሸመቺያ ትክክለኛ ወቅት
ወይ ደቂቃ፣
ልብ ዘና ሳይል በሙዚቃ!
የጋብቻችሁ የፀሐይ ብርሃን ወቅት
ወይ የጫጉላ ሽርሽር፣
ሲቀየር ወደ ውሽንፍር፣
እጅ ለእጅ ተያይዛችሁ፣
ወጀብ ትቋቋማላችሁ!
እርስ በራሳችሁ ላይም ተንጠላጥላችሁ፣
ቀጥ ያለ ዳገት ትወጣላችሁ፣
መብረቅ ሲያጓራ በላያችሁ -
በሰማያዊ እርዳታና ፍቅር
በእምነትና ተስፋ ጭምር!
የወይን ብርጭቆ ማጋጨት፣
የአበባ እቅፍ መሠጣጠት፣
የፍቅርን ህልም
እውን አያደርገውም በውነት!
የሚጋሩት ችግር
የእንባ ዘለላ መስዋዕትነት፣
ያስፈልጋል ለፍቅር ውበት፣
ሙቀት ደሞም ድምቀት ለመስጠት፣
ምድራዊ ሐሴት ነገር፣
ወደሰማያዊ ፀጋ ለመቀየር!
(በሔለን ስቲነር ራይስ )//

The sun with its
Fingers of ray
Caressing and dubbing
Thawed the ice,
Which a brook,
Soon bubbled
Forward to advance!

When will my
Lovelorn and
The frost of loneliness
Congealed soul
Begins to liquefy
In a way
Description that defy
Fine-tuned to
A soul mate's voice
And enticing eyes
With a heart
Engaged in ecstasy
Choreographed dance?

Is it the pompous pope
That blessed off tanks
And hailed fighter Jets
Bombs to drop,
On modestly armed patriots
Marching for a fair battle
Entertaining hope,
Not suspecting
A non-stop
Rain of
Banned poisonous gas
Lethal as Nazis
Mass destructive soap?

What is more
Is it
The self seeking pope
That sacrificed
An independent
Country, a push over,
Expecting a reward handsome
-  an earthly kingdom?

Or


Is it the martyr monk
Who warned(cursed) the people
And land
To fascist colonizers
Not to give a hand?

What is more
Is it the
Selfless monk
Who was atrociously
By atavists
Gunned down
Scanning the sky for
A heavenly crown!

Who makes a water speak?                                                           ­                       
A rock!

Immediately after I
Fetched my salary
From a Bank
When I get drunk
Getting into a bar,
From my home not far,
No longer subject
To my inhibition
I become bold
To make an
Open breast of my love
To my inaccessible dove,
For on such state
I become easily capable
My financial challenges
And physical appearance
Anxieties to dissolve.

I crunch her number
Getting no answer
"U R Z best Chick
On earth! "
I SMS her
But go not any further.
It is early in the morning
I ask myself
"What possibly could
Be her feeling! "

Also into a bar
When I make
A divine entrance
To rub shoulders
With colleagues
I stand a chance
Or above them
On the ladder of success
A bit advance.

Also when at night
When I see
Pub's dazzling light
My timidity
No longer in place
Myself assertiveness
Proceeds apace!

Also I bet
Alcohol, dunker's pet
To tension management
Has some effect.

On the morrow
It is when I get
Out of pocket
My spendthrift bent
I regret.

Aside from my health
Going downhill,
I am becoming
Incapable to foot
Electric and water bill.

Tipsy, at times
Blunt, for a fight
I begin to hunt.///

The very knowledge that
You exist
Affords me a pleasure that
Has no limit!

Though the tide of
Life had taken you adrift
Between us  creating a rift
Though it had cruelly
Taken you away
My love for you with
Me for ever stay
The way
You planted it
In my heart
The first day!

It is right
It is right
'Only those
That stand under a tree
Know how ants bite!'

"Unless I saw things
Firsthand
Flaunting, I
Used not
Facts to understand!

In this regard
I often said off hand
'Concerning Covid-19
You could be off
Your guard
I do not agree
With a bizarre
Lockdown decree.'

Me if you ask
Why put not you
A face mask?
I will laugh
Behind your back.

While innumerable
Senior citizens die,
Well-nourished
Self-centered
Worried never I!
Investigative
Journalists I adored
To lampoon
'Cause I was born
In my mouth
With a silver spoon!.
'Yesterday I did note
The pandemic
Is screeching to a halt
No, no...
Excuses me I think
I have made a fault'
The angel of death
Me to hell's gate
Has brought!"
Though I lost in
WHO faith
It has wished me
To fast regain
My health!

Yesterday

A votary of democracy
And a combatant!

Today

A tyrant and a parasite!

Tomorrow

A prison inmate,
Who regrets
A wrong turn or bent!

A boy asked God

"Could you please
give me patience? "

God to the boy

"I will send to you challenge! "

The boy to God

"I think we are not
On the same page
When I asked
You for patience
It is not for  a change! "

God to the boy

"Patience presupposes hassle,
In the remoulding
Process to render you
Tolerant and gentle!

Boy to God

"Yes hassle
To change
The peevish
To gentle
I shouldn't forget
Your omniscience mantle!
You break
Anew to make! "

What separates you from the pack,
No man crosses paths without
A second snapshot turning back.

What separates you from the pack,
No man sets eye on you
Not subject to cupid’s arrow an attack.

What separates you from the pack
No man sits across
Without dropping jaws
Cherishing your face, smiles
That doesn’t  lack.

What separates you from the pack
When you walk
No man is blind
To you attire liquefying knack.

What separates you from the pack
You prove
An embodiment of beauty
Even if, offhand ,
You put on clothes
Made out of a sack. ///

Lured by your
Elegant posture
When at its best
Appears nature,
Replete with optimism
Courage and adventure,
All welcome you
To lament  and bemoan
Your  quick departure!

When you hear
Others back biting
Your friend
Listen , assured,you too
On the morrow
Will be a victim to the trend!