I met a man along the road
And crooked was his smile
Crooked were the steps he took
Along his crooked miles

His arms were long, his fingers too
Though neither pointed straight
His legs were like two twisted ropes
And cause his crooked gait

He flashed a crooked grin at me
And bared his crooked teeth
He wore a crooked coat of black
and no shirt underneath

His body was a twisted mess
Jutting all around
His crooked bones rattled and cracked
As he shuffled ‘cross the ground

“And to where do you go?” His crooked voice rasped
I pretended not to hear
“Answer me my new young friend,
There’s nothing for you to fear.”

“I do not know,” I whispered back
“I know not where I roam.
but I know life lies ahead,
and behind me lies my home.”

“And where are your friends?” he asked of me
A crooked gleam in his eye.
“They did not want to come,” I said.
“I never did learn why.”

“My boy that’s cause they do not care,
You’re not worth caring for!
Look at you; useless, dumb
Weak, ugly, and poor.”

“Well how far have you come?” he asked.
“13 years,” I said
“Only 13?!” his broken voice creaked
“Oh, you’re sure to end up dead.”

“Better men have walked here than you,
More experienced, and with more help.
They died here alone, and so too will you.
You’re an insignificant whelp.”
_____________

I tried to ignore him, really I did
I fought back against all his lies.
But one cruel blow, on one cruel night
I looked straight in the Crooked Man’s eyes.

Then before I could scream
My heart broke at the seem
And I felt an unyielding pain

My insides were hollow
Mouth too dry to swallow
I begged, “Please, make it stop!”

So he took out a brand
And placed it in my hand
“Burn it out of your skin.”

Then he watched with a smile
Relaxed for a while
As my agony tickled his ears

Though I did as he bade
He took out a blade
“Not enough, try harder my boy!”

But the blade and the brand
One in each hand
Could not purge the sorrow within

So covered in scars
Beneath all the stars
The rest of my life began

I fell to my knees as the crooked man laughed
He placed a crooked hand on my head
“Ignorant boy,” he said with some joy

“You’re mine until you’re dead.”
____________


For five long years we walked together
Every night a repeat of the first
And when others would pass, I’d smile and laugh
They never knew I was cursed

Then one fateful night the Crooked Man said
“You’ve grown so dull and so dry!”
He gave me the knife and said, “End your life.”
“I believe its past time that you die.”

I placed the knife against my neck
And felt the familiar blade
Just one more cut, like all the rest
And my tortured life would fade

I closed my eyes then took a breath
And felt myself let go
But right before I did the deed
My broken heart said…”no”

“no” I said, then “No” I growled
Then “NO!” I screamed and screamed!
I threw the knife into the dirt
And doused the brand that gleamed

I turned toward the Crooked Man
His smile had withered away
“Pick that up you worthless cur!”
He tried his best to say

I charged at him with all I had
We fell hard into the mud
“You’ll never win,” he grunted, “You’re weak!
You’ve lost far too much blood!”

“I have a home you wicked thing!
Some friends and a family too!
And I’ll never die, nor even try
If it means they’re left with you!”
_____________

I still wrestle with the crooked man
And sometimes he almost wins
But I refuse to lose to him
nor surrender to his whims

“I’ll never let you go,” I say,
“Or let you get ahead.
Because you filthy sack of sin

You’re mine until you’re dead.

I hear a wind whispering from the hills
It comes down tickling the woodland rills
From far is heard the frightened murmur of leaves
As it pounces on them like wayside thieves

It shakes the branches of flowering trees
And their weak petals drop like confetti in the breeze
Over hills and trees it loves to skip and stray
Always in motion, never inclined to stay

It moves unhampered over streams and field
With no resistance to its might, they simply yield
Like a child, it romps over the sloppy meadows
In its gentle touch, dances the gleeful flowers

It skillfully pleats the blue chiffon of the ocean
Sometimes curling waves in electric motion
Over the sea it runs puffing up the sails
And over the sky heaping clouds in bales

Sometimes it steals furtively like a lover
And disappears kissing our cheeks under cover
Often it comes capering with a lilt and a swing
We feel delighted when we hear its merry song

Like a nomad, the wind roams from place to place,
Hiding its mysterious presence from our glance
From an unknown hide out it comes like a spirit
But always making us feel its vigorous might!

At times it gains force and roars like a beast
Felling trees and wreaking havoc with its twist
In rampage, it sweeps the sea and the ground
Triggering sparks of fear and horror all around

Pick me, pick me
Said the little poem from the back
It has been in the line so long
Longing to be read

It knows that it is special
You can see it in its rhyme
It just needs someone to read it
Spare a few minutes of their time

It tries its best not to sound desperate
As no one likes a whiny poem
Also knows some poems are more meaningful
And just wants to get along

It wasn't written by a famous poet
Like Dickinson or Walcott
But does it matter whose hand the pen is in
When you're jotting down your thoughts

As it now stands it'll stay in back
Waiting for the opportunity
To attract someone to take a chance
And give this little poem its read

hand me a secret
i'll give you a lie
say that i'll keep it
till the day that i die

whatever you say
is safe with me
until the moment
that i set it free

when you tell me a secret
i could explode
i'll drum roll and beat it
till everyone knows

strike up the band
call the dogs home
bend a few ears
polish the crome

tell me a secret
i'll never confess
that i'm soon to share it
with everyone else

as soon as i have it
in my hot little hands
i'll let go it, they'll know it
throughout the land

We ambled the streets of Harare
Meandering aimlessly
Fleeting past wide-eyes scanning us enviously
Hand in hand we walked into the restaurant
Leisurely on Second Street
Our hunger awakened
Our appetites heightened
At almost closing time
With no one in overtime mode
A signal that here we could only dine on another day


Joina City was our next stop
Up the lift right to the top
'Closed' it read at the coffee shop
Into the nearest chair I went flop!
Though hungry, we gabbed non-stop
By and by we regarded the clock
It chimed 8 o'clock
And sadly, it was time to go home

Busy and noisy
Were the streets of Harare
Jabbering crowds, kombis hooting
Hawkers, vendors or is it hustlers now -
Calling for buyers or just huddled to pass time
No chill in Harare
Picturesque like a dream
Surreal…
Hand in hand we dawdled
In despair for a hot meal

In the shimmering distance
Like a mirage in the desert
The neon lights read
'Creamy Inn'
Something to calm our rambling bellies
At last…
Nippy evening air hit our souls
'Ice-cream tastes better at night'
I said
'I can't believe I'm having ice-cream'
He said
We frolicked
Hand in hand we danced past faces painted with adoration
'What a handsome lover!'
They probably thought:
My delectable younger brother

I had the oddest dream last night. I was watching myself grow up as a child. I felt as though I was seeing through another’s eyes. I think maybe it was my great grandmother showing me the light I have inside. I’m not sure exactly why, but it was truly a gift from the other side. I felt such a sense of pride that I awoke with tears in my eyes.