Rwanda 1994 Poem by Paul Hartal

Rwanda 1994



The Kagera River rises in Burundi blue
It sweeps down from the highlands green.

But then why the river runs red?
Why does it look so sinister?

It hauls the bodies of the dead
Its currents carry your sister.

The Kagera River rises in Burundi green
It flows wild to Lake Victoria blue.

But then why the river runs red?
There is no change in the weather.

Yet on the waters float the dead
The currents carry your father.

The Kagera River rises in Burundi white
It drags trees and elephant grass green.

But then why the river runs red?
The day sunny like another.

Yet the streams tow and haul the dead
The currents carry your brother.

The Kagera River rises in Burundi blue
It flows through Rwandan gorges green.

But then why the river runs red?
Why does the village camp smother?

It hauls the corpses of the dead
The currents carry your mother.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
READ THIS POEM IN OTHER LANGUAGES
Close
Error Success