That City Poem by Isaac Maliya

Should not throw back
Memories of Hotel Universo
Mouth could not utter a word
Nor could it take “comida” daily
Not for a matter of choice
But the realities of that City.

Should not throw back
Memories of Olof Palme Avenue
Initially rejected as a “Ninja”
At times locked out in the cold
Not for sheer forgetfulness
But the realities of that City.

Should not throw back
Memories of Karl Marx Avenue
Satiated with profit motive
Yet saved from succumbing to death
Not for a matter of choice
But the realities of that City.

Should not through back
Memories of that little house
Life became renewed, where
Care and love knew no frontiers
Yet it is in that same city
That City of Maputo!


Dedication: To Greatson Raphael Kamoto,
true friend who separates kindness, justice,
and love from their respective opposites.

Monday,27th July 1992.
Tete, Mozambique.