NDABA SIBANDA - POEMS

Sibanda is the author of Love O’clock, The Dead Must Be Sobbing and Football of Fools.
Ndaba Sibanda`s work is featured in The New Shoots Anthology, The Van Gogh Anthology edited by Catfish McDaris and Dr. Marc Pietrzykowski, Eternal Snow, A Worldwide Anthology of One Hundred Poetic Intersections with Himalayan Poet Yuyutsu RD Sharma scheduled for publication in Spring/Summer 2017 by Nirala Press and Seeing Beyond the Surface Volume II.

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​A Tribute To The Voice

​In Yenagoa a craftsman was born  
His was a career that flourished 
And flew beyond Nigerian literature
In 1964 the world woke up to The Voice
A voice, thundery in imagery and breadth 
It rained a profusion of artistry and insight  
In verse it soon sounded, stirred and starred    
In 1979 The Fishermen`s Invocation caught
The eye of the Commonwealth Poetry Prize  
Even today it thunders with a great fondness 
Its charm and allure transcends tongues & ages
His Piano and Drums are still relevant as if recent    
In poetry and prose his voice is an authority, a beauty
For the voices of literary lions roar and radiate into infinity
Gabriel Imomotimi Gbainbain Okara, rest in literary prosperity

In The Heart Of Glory And Gladness ​

​Have you ever had the pleasure of observing 
the behavior of the wild—the elephants--
in their natural habitat? A lumbering spectacle! 

Have you ever had a desire to hang out with guys
like the turtle? Chatting with her, taking her to lunch-- 
perhaps, feeding and cleaning her. That would be great!

Perhaps dear turtle would start to open up a bit. Thanks 
for the wonderful meal and bath. Please, please protect me 
from predators. My hatching grounds need to be secure.

Picture yourself in the core of the grassland, in the majesty 
of the Victory Falls, wow!-- graced by the presence of the big 5:
the rhino, elephants, lions, leopards, buffalo; hands dirty & caring! 

​Lessons Of Love Unlearned

​With a heart loaded with love
She leapt into the nuptial waters

And whirled as if unlearning to learn
Habits of drowning in spidery chitchats 

That came in several sizes, colors and flavors---
Brown-sugar or fine- salt-begging pleasantries  

And discovered lessons unlearned about love
And the depths and dimensions of nuptial pools

Teachings whose basis for progress was positivity 
Persistence, proof-- not the whispers of the buzzing bees

​The Good Shepherd And His Sheep

​They sang and shouted with joy
as he paced about, whispering of godliness 

Suddenly he raised his voice
and approached a young lady

Whose red-painted lips gleamed
with loveliness and chubbiness 

He then declared: I see you demon
Leave her lips, I will suck you out!

His ‘holy’ ones landed on her red ones
He groaned as the congregants shouted ‘amen’

Holy Saints! Maybe that demon was stubborn
For their mouths merged madly till sunset! 

        
Breathlessly he declared victory but added: See me later 
to free you of the last slimy remnants of that monster! 

How could he not be pleased with his powers?
He who helped the ‘heavy-laden’ and ‘barren’ conceive!    

After the labial drama, the pleased Prophet 
ordered his sheep to venture into greener pastures 
 

There the congregants tucked into dishes of snakes--
including a menu of stones and flowers and grass 

They washed down the above with purple petrol
The pleased pastor flashed a batch of flashy cards 
  
“Tickets to Heaven, economy five hundred dollars 
First class… just eight hundred dollars”


They snapped them up, and screamed for more,
Then the Prophet had a vision: an extra lot coming. 

So he paced about, spraying them with a cute chemical--
An insect repellant, maybe a perfume?

The dizzy, desperate crowd couldn’t have cared less.
What effects would all that drinking and eating have?  

Faithfully and obediently they swallowed his poison. 
Swiftly dropping to the floor, praising him with their last.  
 

When Queen Had Prince Going Cracked

She pronounced: you’re mine, mine
Prince was about to go lyrical too-
Or is it speak in love tongues? --and say: 
From the very crown of my head, Queen,
To the sole of my feet; I’m thine, thine!
My breath, width and length your oxygen!  

When Queen said medically speaking,
He was lost and needed to be found!
But Queen was like the torrential rains:    
Your range of qualities and purposes
Is simply too impressive to mention 
You`re my natural roll-on and mint 

It was like a song, but she was on song 
She killed it like a soulful gushing guitar 
Prince was beginning to feel and think
Perhaps love had just found him there!
His heart was wowed, pushed to the edge
Maybe that`s where she wanted him to be!

Queen`s artistry had him salivating silly
My evergreen herb which pesters pests 
Oh…I adore your medicinal, culinary 
And ornamental properties and uses 
He deduced he was her specialist doctor
Or her protector and all-oh hurrah to him!     


Counting himself lucky, he tailed her 
She recited: we`re in each other's heart 
You`re my therapeutic, aromatic dearest  
My incense with rare antibacterial qualities   
You help me treat my high blood pressure,
You boost my immunity, my space, my mood 

You treat acme, my natural cough remedy
You embalm my heart with love, my melody
You`re an air repellant that kicks off mold
Plus mosquitoes and mice, that`s an amen!   
Prince was convinced mold meant silly men! 

When his arms were itching to hug her---
His heart bursting to empty its embers--- 
His eyes ululating, dancing on her face---
His ears longing for more of her words---
She paused, and then he shrunk and froze
Upon hearing her state: Thyme repel him!!