Poems from Kesho Leo

By Cindy Keong.

UNGA'S PEOPLE

Decaying air hangs in a

low cloud as you pass

through Unga. Men await the

arrival of daily refuse, eagerly tearing open

rubbish bags like presents at Christmas

hoping Mother got it right this year.

Ramshackle shop fronts sell produce

laid out on threadbare hessian and

ragged cloth. Cherry tomato and spanish onion

gleam like polished jewels in the hot sun, the

seller resting on haunches, leg muscles built

on patience; his face with a frozen stare

remains unbroken to passers by.

Donkeys laden with makeshift saddlebags

strain their rope burnt legs up 

unsealed roads, shifting their

loads on uneven shoulders to allow

the zig-zag of traffic to pass. Not far

behind a tired shepherd, trudges the same

worn path. These figures mimic roadside trees,

dressed in dusty brown jackets.

NIGHT WINDOWS
Night caresses day with its

midnight fingers. Mt Meru

 towers sentinel, its purple skin

 luminous in fading light.

Crickets beat their legs

 against brittle grass, frogs with

 raspy coughs croak at a cloudless

 sky, their pleas for moisture lost

 on the ears of a dry night breeze.

Askari assemble, ready to

 guard our gates and protect our

dreams. The crunch of boots on

 gravel, a lullaby for easy sleep

DROUGHT SONGS
i.
Roads blister in afternoon sun

unable to hide aging skin

and dusty shoulders

ii.
Tired Acacia trees are huddled

hat stands, scarves of debris

on thorny arms

iii.
Scorched grass creaks and moans as

bougainvillea flowers whisper in

crackling voices prayers for rain


About Cindy Keong: I am a Brisbane based photographer, poet and teacher. Currently exploring life in Tanzania volunteering as part of the amazing NGO that is FWS. My role here is to assist with the early childhood education program giving children a great start toward their primary education