Joseph Cimanuka Poems

I am Joseph Cimanuka,
A son of hope and humble light,
Born where hills embrace the morning,
And rivers sing both day and night.
...

Half-dead people, hearts turned cold,
Conceived in shadows, in theft enrolled;
Born in crime, in darkness fed,
On stolen wealth their spirits bred.
...

The start will always come, mediocrely;
Voices in your back will whisper dismay,
Trying to make you feel black, to bring you down.
Every voice will rise, a word to say,
...

O, Death! I curse you,
For you are impolite,
You don't knock before you get in.
Death, where is your pity?
...

I am fond of you, Lord,
Yet I despise my neighbor.

I preach your word with delight,
...

Africa, cradle of nations,
Land where strength and wisdom meet;
Across your vast horizons rise
Brilliant minds and untapped dreams.
...

I went to fetch fire from Walungu,
To warm my body, my house, and light my life;
Yet this fire was a woman—a living flame,
Not the fire bestowed through dowry in Kaziba,
...

Keep and cherish your land,
You people of my land,
Lest you wake in Egypt
With burdens in your hands.
...

There is a day for birth, a day for death,
A day for childhood, a day for age.
A day for marriage, a day for parting,
A day for failure, a day for success.
...

Your majesty, our Mwami,
Where is your Mwamihood?

As the greatest hero of our land,
...