CAR CRASH BE STILL
Routine day, time for coffee,
Hot water exits the microwave, mocha I desire
And then it happened, what you ask?
I dropped the friggin’ mug
Suddenly I know something is wrong
I am man and so imperfect, but this routine always aced
And then I wondered, Dad or Mom? Scat that thought
I feel so sick in my gut
There is a ring, oh phone, why you?
God be merciful, oh storm pass-over, whatever you are
Oh golden voice, it’s my wife, sweet mother, my darling wife
I say, you ok, and she says, baby I’m not
Car accident, dang crash, 360 degree spin, so much damage
Night shift, a 13-hr spell, so why this?
As a nurse, she slaved all night, such a mess
life is something, so I say, babe be still
Months have passed, since that day, but who forgets
such a trauma, pain and scars, oh mares of nights,
She ponders, my young family, O lord, I must provide
So she finds the courage to drive again, the same car, now anew,
O mind of hers, let her be, o let her rest
Fear go away, she’s had enough, dang memory lane
Same car, same flashes, o that dreadful day
Here, my love, your brand new keys, my credit is great today
In awe and shocked, she instead said, what a lovely rental car
I said, no baby, it’s all yours, your brand new car
She fell in-love, new ride, all hers,
Oh yeah, Oh yeah, I’m the man
O wife of mine, thank you Jesus, smile and shine
So strong and still you stood against steel tests of life
A hero you are, so you see, new memories you must build
The perks of grace, brand new car, cruise baby cruise
BY NDOUMBE MEKOLLE
BUSHFALLER – NOW I AM
Bushfaller – Now I am.
The Bushfaller experience, a trap with perks,
Call me stupid, call me native, but Someone should have told us sooner,
That it’s good enough to live in two seasons,
And there we were, thinking four was better?
Those Bushfallers, the darn good photos they take,
Was it the excitement of seeing them in snow,
or the misguided perception that all that glitters
is just a glow and still for show;
O Man, Bush is the place to be, and bling,
Education or not, the dollar’s got sting.
So why did Common sense forget to mention
that it’s all a matter of condition;
Remember that hustle for docs?
The cost, the process, the missteps, the sacrifice
Where is the money, dad will borrow, or this and that
Mom will sell, Uncle will try, or aunty may suffice
A day of joy, visa in hand, dang miracle, thank the Lord,
Daddy sobs, Mom is still, smell the roses, pack away
Who to tell, farewell party, hopes and dreams, I now must carry
dear Immigrant depart already, Bushfaller return with plenty
O, decade later,
what a cost, what a spin?
there are plays,
if dear alien says nay, he will dismay
Assimilation, a masquerade, o dignity where art thou?
Identity, soiled in confusion, my soul still searches on
If I return, will they see, the pain I wrestle, the void I’ve come to fill,
Resolution, live, laugh, and love, bushfaller is who now I am.
by IVO NDOUMBE MEKOLLE
Sept 2013