Molesting the Queen’s Language

by John Mhongovoyo

No, yours has grown too perfect.

We’ll have to break it here and there,

Rape it in some places,

Otherwise they won’t hear us

On our temporary tongues.

We don’t want to talk to ourselves now,

Do we?

Elders say it came on fiery canoes

From over there

(Perhaps together with the Bible and guns)

No ruling out

some of it falling into the sea.

How I hate leftovers?

The more you understand it

The more you know deprivation.

Ever since pre-eighties struggles

We been falling

and falling

and seething.

All we trying to say is,

Somebody take those damn things

And give us back our wealth.

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John Mhongovoyo was born and raised in Zimbabwe. He has published short stories and poems in the journals Moto, Parade, Mahube and The Thinker. He currently lives and works in Maun, Botswana.