In Our Old Days
By Riak Marial Riak, Juba, South Sudan
We loved to talk of revolutionaries
like John Garang, Karbino Kuanyin,
Brainstorming of unexplained powers of Manyang Jok
and the unforgiving power of Tong Luoc –
about how he could dance in the fire
without burning his skin.
The moon was always bright yet we could be blind in plays,
plays like to go and hide under the crops,
plays like to tie your face and blindly chose your girlfriend,
we still remember those days when we sit here in camps,
when we run to queue to be given free grain
again.
–
My grandfather always swore when he saw fish packed
that I would never eat that which my hands never cut open.
when a bullet would be left to your house
and our night playing girls gathered to prepare food for the revolutionaries.
–
Sweet tears dripped down our cheeks
although it was said to generations to never think of the past,
how could our minds let them be bygones
when we could leave homes for weed and moss.
Ah, now Lonhmagok roamed like a rejected harlot amongst enemies,
If I could be snow to come and fade later in the day
I could come and glance on my old days, calmly on a giant rock.
–
Riak Marial Riak is a South Sudanese poet and writer. He’s the coordinator of New Kush Film production. His poetry is driven by love, life, nature, death, and culture. Studied human resource management. He can be reached at riakdeng23@gmail.com
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