Walking by the riverside,
Imagining dark eyes,
Tiny fish in Blue Ocean,
Crocodiles struggling to feed,
Hippos in the deep,
Waiting for the night to come.
Young Calypso suddenly appeared
In her flying dress,
Balancing a water jar – and singing.
I tried to stop her just to say, “Hello.”
The water jar dropped, water flooded the green grass
Forcefully uprooting and clearing weeds back to river.
Calypso’s voice rang: “Daddy! Daddy!
He has raped me.”
I saw gigantic hands
Hold me by the throat.
A man in uniform
Manacled my hands.
Three years later
The man with gigantic hands died; he left a letter,
Urging me to promise him
A grandchild.
Emmanuel Monychol (20th century) South Sudan
Source: Suubi, African Writers Trust and British Council, 2013
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