DIDN'T KNOW

We didn’t know
That would be our last chat
The final handshake
Our Last hug
The last bargain in Nakawa market
The last vision of pot holes
The reckless boda boda
Rushing –
to ensure you catch the match
That evening
The last time you switched off the ignition
Farewell to your newly acquired Corona

You probably had planned this evening
Or was it a last minute decision?
Watching Africa’s first world cup final
With friends – close friends- good friends
When would the cup come back to Africa anyway?

Did you think?
That would be the last joke
Last laugh
The last pat on the back
Did it occur to you
I wonder
That you would not see me again?
Go shopping again?
Make love again?

Did it occur to you?
Were you warned?
What happened to your intuition?
How can you be an enemy to a stranger?
Who would hate you so much?
For inhabiting the Pearl ?
The Pearl of Africa?

Who were they?
Did they squeeze past you?
Share a joke with you?
Support a team?
Did they blow a vuvuzela too?
Which team did they support?
As they prepared this dastard deed
I wonder-

What can I tell you my friend?
I stare at your eyes in the papers
The internet is awash with your name
What did you do last I wonder?
Sip the alvaro?
Wince at Robben’s missed goal?
?
What was the last sound you heard?
Was it the sound of G-O-A-L?
The blast of the whistle?
Or the yell of your fellow fans?
What did you see last?
Was it the Spanish jersey?
Did you take a last minute back glance?
Didn’t you look under the seat?
Hear the ticking?

What crossed your mind?
Will you answer me?
I groan and moan in despair
Did you feel any pain?
Did you think of me?

I know
You probably never heard of Al Shabab
You distanced yourself from politics
Avoided the confrontations of demonstrations
And tear gas

Yet here you are
I look at you
Asleep like a baby now
What will I do without you?
As my heart writhes with pain
My throat chokes with burning emotion
My eyes
Acidic tears burn


Yet you are up yonder
Do you see them now?
Burning in hell ?
Or do they still walk among us?

What should we do?
Our hearts grieve with sadness
My lips tremble as I speak
O that I would see you again
And say a proper bye
Am weeping this night
Tell me
Will joy come in the morning?

druhweza@gmail,com

Dedicated to the fellow Ugandans and other citizens of the world who died when twin bombs blew up as they watched the world cup finals in Kampala Uganda on the 11th of July 2010.