Girl From The Street
The street knows you well
We call you a street girl
The street doesn’t give birth to you
Who send you to the road or what pushes you?
I know you had parents before
What changes your residence and brought you here?
Life has dealt you a hard blow
And this community is mad at you as I saw
The same community brought you to the world
You were raped by your own race and dumped
When you’re pregnant with a child of your sibling
He was the first to ashamed you and gag
They called you names to isolate you in your hardest time
Then you walked out to face the world on this line
You live bitterly, mistreatment is your supper
Mean and unkind men bought you beer to make you stronger
Every morning you wake up with guilt and shame
They made you fill that you can’t have a dream
They always tell you are a curse for mother earth
But, they build a lustful road in you to fasten their own death
Mulatwa Mosisa
Love and Hate
I saw them strolling along the beach holding hand in hand
Sitting by lake clasping each other tight
Even the wind had no way to pass through their bond
She was singing his name, and his tattoo was her title
They got married and sealed their love forever
Every young couple were envied of them
They were blessed with beautiful little children
Chasing after her I saw the young man
He holds a bottle in his hand, it might be a spray for his wife
I heard a sharp scream as he entered his house
Neighbors run to their house, and saw the young lady’s face
Splashed by strong acid, and her man disappeared
After he splattered the acid to destroy her face
Mulatwa Mosisa
Rocky Mountain Crusher
My human family I was born among them
They know how to crush Rocky Mountains and how a lion to tame
They learn how to fly higher; we constructed a road under waters;
The sea creatures became our families, we crossed the sea and oceans
We get along with our cats and dogs
We keep canaries to hear their sweetest songs
We never had battle with beasts in the bushes
We’ve been so sensible to live with them in peace
But we are dynamic working to kill our own images
We plot a war to wipe out nation who are same with us
We have no patience to discuss our conflicts sitting together
It just makes us ill when there is complain from our brother
Where is the persistence that tame a lion
To settle divergences with a same person like mine
Why we pick a gun when we disagree?
Where is our great knowledge and wisdom? ... I’m so sorry.
Mulatwa Mosisa
My Days
I started school on those days
When people had vegetables
Red plum and peach trees in their compounds
They had green place for kids to play
I walked between the trees from school to home
With my younger brother
Heard the sounds of the wings
Of falcons slapping the branches
The birds were chirping here and there
Crossed many grassy fields
Admired the old houses and the architecture
The fervor of civilization
Demolished the houses with passion
Fruits, vegetables and trees
All creatures inhabited the trees
Migrated to nowhere
God only knows where
But I’m so scared
My city has been changed to desert
Our eyes can see only sand and cement
We are sniffing or inhaling dust
While we’re coughing we spit sawdust
We’ve changed the climate
Mulatwa Mosisa
Beauty
The sweetest smell of roses
Or the smiling faces of kids
The coherent sky above us
Or the echo of the water falls
What is a beauty for you?
Is it the chains of mountains and hills,
Or the green field and the moors?
The power of horses, the tall young man who rides on their back
Is the slender young girl in her youth or the wisdom of her grandmother?
What is beauty for us?
The innocent of childhood or the games of politics
Pride, cruelty and meanness or gentleness with tenderness
Showing off and bullying or soft spoken and humble
A girl with a long hair or a man with bald head
The fierce battle between mankind and victory
Or the love and compassion among human race
I see a beauty in you, when you act human
Speak as human and dream sweet for your entire tribe
Mulatwa Mosisa
Darkness
Darkness scares many
It covers evil activities only
But it is empty and powerless
When the morning sun arise
What the darkness covers those evil plans
The day light uncovers
Darkness deceives his own friend
So that, on it… no one will depend
If you robe a house of your buddy
If you kill a person you call him enemy
Darkness will help you to do it
But in the morning, you’ll be caught
It will come out in the day light
Walk in the light
Keep doing right
Before you sleep, you should know your fate
Know your destiny, don’t walk as lame feet
Mulatwa Mosisa
This Is Your World
I see a toddler on a cart
Someone is pushing her wherever he wants
She discovers her left and right
Suddenly the wind blows the dust
She covers her eyes and cries
Holds her eyes with her tiny hands
The pusher of the cart was blind, deaf and mute
He was not able to help or protect
What a fate! For a little innocent girl
The wind gets harder and the cart twirls
She was guided by a person who’s disabled
If she gets in trouble, will he be responsible?
O little girl!!! This is your world
For your right you can’t stand
But this case should be reviewed
On which court this man will be judged?
God only knows
Alas!!!
Mulatwa Mosisa
Hello Lily,
I enjoyed reading your poems discussing diverse issues in community. Your poem on GBV reminded me of the tales of those acid burns, and how much they happened in my country :/
The ones about the abuse and neglect of the street child, and the helplessness of the toddler were very touching.
I like what you say that the streets give birth to no one, which is a cal to the community to nourish and care for each of its members without branding them with titles that absolve the community of responsibility, like street child for example.
Thank you for sharing and speaking on these matters.
Stay safe :)
Good morning Nini,
Habari ya subui( don't laugh at my perfect kiswahili )
I had visited Kenya and love your country. The thing I love most are the cute children and your small markets near every estates.
I never knew about the acid attacks there, but happens in India often. In my country, I heard about only two cases. The titles about the neglected children and others, we should think about it seriously. How many things should devide us? Race, tribe, color, religion, living standard...oh! I want the world to know that: "We're made from earth and will go back to be a dust. Until then, why should tha see every human being is equal. No titles needed to belittle the other."
You should raise your voice on behalf of the voiceless. I've a poem about "Street Child"...if we call them homeless is at least...better.
Assante wanna
Lily
Hello Lily. Thank you for sharing this very personal and insightful anthology. I think we should ask World Pulse, when do we go to press? This great work should be published. So poignant in the way it paints the imagery for each poem. I was drawn into the various stories you narrated. ‘My Days’ reminded me of my childhood and walking to school, and feeling like the whole world belonged to me, including the beautiful hibiscus of a certain yard I picked every December when we had to take flowers to school for some special holiday. I still don’t know whose yard that was but I remember how special I felt. This is a beautiful collection.
Hello dear Isata,
Thank you for reading my poems and time to give comments. Our childhood was good. We use to take flowers from diffrent compound through fences and planted them in pots. We cut flowers and carry home from the road and churches. Now, the green fields are covered with buildings. No tree, no wild flowers, no green fields....and we cry about climate change.
Our world is in a big mess. Covid-19, locust, floods, wild fires,...etc. There is a lot to say about our time.
Thank you for your encouragement
Lily
Hello, Lily,
Wow! You wrote your poetry in one post here. You've been busy writing. Great job on creating these to spark awareness, dear. You've been through so much in life that you are able to tell stories through art. Great job, dear!
Dear Karen,
Sorry for the delayed reply. Thank you so much for reading my poem and encouraging comment.
You are always there for me.
Lily
My dear Lily,
What great and poignant poetry!!
I was touched by the many aspect of Ethiopian/Eritrean society that depict the real human condition in several African countries and other developping societies of the world.
Yours is not just beautiful poetry, but it is an extremely incisive analysis societal issues: the hard blows of life, the cruelty of society towards its own children, the rape of innocent kids who are impregnated, despised, disowned and then throw to the dogs-the street-where they suffer incredible emotional and moral injuries, the conflict, the hatred, the hope of light after darkness, and the call for judgement in the hope that evil deeds will be corrected and the rights of victims perhaps restored.
There is so much power in your voice and pen Lily. I would encourage you to get this anthology published so that it can be available to a wider audience. Keep writing. Keep us nourished by your words of great insight. More power to you.
Dear Kabahenda,
Thank you for the time you spend to read and comment about my poems.
This is what we see around. What can you write, apart from the pain you ecperience, sad stories you come accross, the very odd situations you face in your life or in your neighbors,...there're more untold stories. This is our daily life. Unless things are improved right now, if we don't do corrections around the errors that are visible boldly, we're giving the scariest world ever to the next generation.
I said, Amen for your blessings.
I publish poems with Poets Unite Worldwide/13 poem books- with poets from around the globe/ However I don't earn a dime from it, I'm working at it.
Thank you dear sister,
Lily