Poetry by Nelson Kamkuimo

Strange love

 

Whoever said the day was better than the night

Had never met with the night face to face

Before cursing the night

Think of the moonlight that glitters like gold

Think of the fireflies sparkling like stars

Think of the stars themselves

Dressing the firmament with a royal coat

Children are afraid of the night, aren’t they?

But they were born too late to know

All the wonders hidden in the night’s womb

And the night cares about everybody

If you can’t walk like cats, don’t bother

Its silence is warm and will lull you to sleep

The day is harsh and the sun is wicked

The day is noisy and the broad light is a traitor

Good things prefer showing up at night

When the violent eyes of the world are shut

And the waves of the sea are silent

The night is a mother the night is a shelter

Mum told me I was born at night

God revealed I will die at night

May this be the reason why I like the night so much?

 

The rain

I have never blasphemed

the rain

It only does its job and I have

to do mine

As children, we used to have great fun

in the rain

We enjoyed playing dancing and jumping

at this party

We liked mixing up the mud

like the dough

To create our imaginary and fascinating world

Mum always said childhood is a form

of madness

We laughed!

And the imaginary world collapsed as time

went by!

I stood for ages and waited in vain

Today the rain remains a true friend

Its noise on my roof is a perfect

lullaby

Its drops of tears are full of blessings –

plants can tell

And the ideal

Long after the rain has stopped singing

I can hear it resonate

in my dreams

Like the band that warms my soul

 

 

Rights

you gave me all the rights – I was close to you

I sailed the boat, fulfilled my night fantasies

on your moon skin and your ebony lohair

I could also sing and dance

travel all over the sea, dream awakened !

but I couldn’t eat of your kiss,

fruit of the forbidden tree for fear of losing my glory

I heard your cry yet I couldn’t live without the fruit of knowledge

standing on the lonely dock I wanted to kiss you

the earth quaked and the sun vanished

the night fell and I crashed down like a bridge

and bit the damp sand away from your lips in bloom

my dream turned into a nightmare

I realized the damage of a dangerous kiss