Epiphanie Mukasano
Rwanda
Epiphanie Mukasano
Conscious of every word being a stroke which paints the picture for the listener or reader, this poet is steady and sure in the footsteps of her words and visions. This ‘style’ of delivery is so appropriate for one whose work is the poetry of reconstructing memory, a sense of place and belonging, when in reality that physical home and nest of family is many miles away and for many reasons, very difficult to return to.
BIOGRAPHY
Epiphanie Mukusano is originally from Rwanda where she used to be a teacher. She has a Master’s de... More >
Mount Kilimanjaro
A year is born, new resolutions
Mine is one, huge and clear
Earth pulling down
Mind pushing uphill
A war with Newton’s laws
My blue backpack a burden
Cold biting nails
Feet dragging up, up...pole pole*
Until my bottom rests upon
The white-headed peak
Trembling
I shake God’s mighty hand
From the top of Africa
I will come back full-handed
My blue backpack a blessing
Black Moses returned
A dream become real
Lest I forget
I will dig my soil dep
I will speak my father’s tongue
I will sit on a woven mat
I will gobble a yellow plate
Of banana plantain
Mixed with mountain beans
Tender onions in palm oil
A mound of my mother’s food
Mount Kilimanjaro on my lap
*pole pole = slowly slowly
