Poetry By Yolanda Lindsay Mabuto

TWO POEMS

By Yolanda Lindsay Mabuto

Saturday, August 6, 2011.

Global Warming

Global warming -has webbed its first warning,
solid heat crystallizes at the surface of this earth –
as Gaia mourns her womb’s still-birth.
Every grain of soil and every trace of life confronts death,
as every breath of survival neglects its worth.
The atmosphere is quenched by bitter gas, poisonous emissions,
clouds embedded with deadly smoke and lifeless sadness.
The oceans and seas spare their last tears as they vaporize,
all that once lived solemnly dies.
Every drop fights defeat as it sorrowfully evanesces,
Nirvana now seeks comfort in the warmth of Hades.
Life seizes to exist as it escapes through the pores of global warming.
Reality now melts into the streams of extinction without warning,
All that was – is dying.
Sustained by vegetation that is no longer growing-
solid heat continues to solidify the surface of this earth.
Every grain of soil and every trace of life-now stands before death-
Global warming has spoken- once again it has webbed its warning.

Oil River Peace ( Niger-Delta)

Miasma whispers in the ears of its Delta children
as they sway to the songs that caress their lips
The violent noise has become a barren burden
Faces of confusion and guilt – eclipse
The melancholy echoes are fuelled by a trade of disharmony
the air is polluted with intense uncertainty-
Enmity quenches the veins of their thoughts
webbed in the chains in which they’ve been caught.
Conflict and strife persuades poverty to strike
embracing the fear that injustice requires to ignite.
Demanding shares where peace should be shared.
“Freedom” hides, captured- tearfully ensnared
Dark-haired men battle in an oil war
What are they fighting for?
Stolen or not, wisdom is brave-
Conflict does nothing but empower rage,
rage that runs not only to your enemy, but yourself
Are you fighting love and peace for wealth?
Blood stained oils seep deep into the conscience of those who remain-
that war they fought- nothing has changed.
Land of Oil-rivers- their home- their industry,
benefits leak into the palms of their enemy-
polluted by lands afar they’ve now made amends
One problem solved- God still has more blessings to send,
If only hearts turn-away from these ills
Toxicity, seemingly goes beyond oil spills-
First environment now its people-
Hope itself is ashamed and fearful.
A staircase of poison stretches from a fallen state
They slowly help peace close its gate
Reason has taught them to vandalize pipelines
Although this impinges on their own economic lifelines.
Why do your own children donate to hate?
Playing with the fires of a vindictive fate.
The poisoned air touches the frames of their rivers,
dark smoke ascends from their ancestor’s cinders
flowing into the contours of their hearts-
the devil has toyed with their craft.
Shelled in shells alone-
Hear the graves moan-
they mourn- the end of cruelty
are we not human enough to fight with dignity.
The land is your own, the wealth too-
but war has no choice but to let you lose.
Until the children hold hands in unity-
to eradicate the stench of animosity-

and with “voice” to reason with reality
not with “tears” or “blood” brutality.
Peace is waiting at the doors of this delta-
Peace waits for its people to give it shelter.
Run and run-but no-one can hide-
Peace is chasing them-Peace will find
a place in their soul’s to hide.
Peace is chasing them -they can not hide.
Miasma whispers in the ears of its Delta children
as they sway to the songs that caress their lips
The violent noise should now turn into tranquil burden
Where faces of love and peace – eclipse.

Yolanda Lindsay Mabuto was born in Gweru, Zimbabwe, in 1988. She began writing poetry at the age of nine. After joining Young Writers at 16 her first poem titled “A love story” was published. Since then, she has been published in several publications including Applaud Africa magazine (Kenya), Zai magazine (Nigeria) Sentinel Literary Quarterly (London), Istanbul Literary Review (Turkey),Sentinel Nigeria, The Ghanaian Book Review (Ghana), Lagos literary and arts journal(Nigeria), Saraba Magazine and Klorofyl magazine. She also holds three certificates of Poetry writing distinction. Now aged 23, Mabuto still continues to make poetry the centre of her happiness. Her writing is inspired by the life of others as well as her own and it reflects the artistic craft of life’s pain and joy.