Among the poets, the well acclaimed John Eppel showcased two poems, The Coming of the Rains’ and Waiting.’ Eppel is the author of twelve books of poetry and fiction, several of which have won prestigious awards. The Coming of the Rains’ deals with the reality of having no control over your birthplace and the sense of being trapped and powerless to change the course of things. He quotes Kafka’s thoughts on being safer in chains than free and yet a desire for freedom is the running thread of the poem:
a free press,
a free state, free will, freedom of speech,
freedom to write what we like, to preach
what we like, freedom to make a mess.’
Chris Mlalazi is an established literary voice in Zimbabwe with a short story collection Dancing with Life and other Short Stories and a co-written play The Crocodile of Zambezi which was banned. His poem They are coming’ looks through the eyes of a defenceless Gogo watching violence unfold on the street outside her home. His evocative language as he describes the thugs as cadres of national sovereignty wielding dread in upraised little fists’ creates a powerful visual image.
The other six poetical offerings are well worth a read at: www.zimbabwe.poetryinternationalweb.org