The Brewing Night
It was that memorable night when I heard it,
Yes I heard it all
Mocked at me and tantalized me
So I lay awake, sharp in all my senses,
It was long past midnight
Time dragged on, the clock wouldn't chime
The dog wouldn't bark, or the baby cry,
It was a moonless and windless night,
The whole universe seemed too stagnate
In dark, dreary and dead slumber
What was I missing? I knew nothing
The dead quietness and solitude
Seem too eternal but waves of whispering
And muttering began to trickle through the streets
A distant roaring of heavy bombs filled the air.
Hurried footstep echoed through the street
What was I missing? I knew nothing.
I pulled my curtain to see it,
And there I saw it all; heavy boots, thick uniforms and solid helmets.
Dimly discernible under a pale street lamp
The atmosphere stood stiff and solid with browned-faced strangers
And teeth clenched with determination,
Thus the children had spent the sleepless night
What was I missing? I knew nothing.
The nights screamed with passion high and wild.
The street was stained with new portraits framed.
The wheel changed hands and new plans were filled
The morning saw the country strangely dressed.
And everyone attended the rally.
To hear the eloquence from strange faces
And everyone quietly nodded and said yes.
What was I missing? I knew nothing
- Elizabeth Awel Garang Looch
