by Betty Kaigo
Fuuu
Out of breath
No fire
Fuuufuuu
Red eyes, tears
No fire
Fuuufuuufuuu
Hands in smoke
In surrender
Mother’s song
Lights up her mind
Ogwanankololo tigwakwate
Ogwange gwakwata
She puts her hand round the glow
Soothingly
She holds dry grass close
Ogwanankololo tigwakwate
Ogwange gwakwata
Fuu
A flame
Relief
Rejoicing
She adds thin sticks
She adds thick sticks
The flame grows
She sprints out
For the pot
As she hums
Ogwanankololo tigwakwate
Ogwange gwakwata
Betty Kaigo is a high school teacher of Literature and English Language who started writing when she joined the FEMRITE Readers’& Writers club in 2008. She writes short stories and poetry: her publications have appeared in many journals. She was also the second runner-up in the Femrite-Start journal’s ’50 Years of Independence Competition’ for her story ‘My Uganda @ 50.’ She is putting together on her first poetry collection.