The Voice Of Ethiopia Poem by Alexander Raju

It's not just for fishing
That you go for fishing!

Your dire need to survive
Urges your heart to live,
You go to the river banks,
Face this world's risky pranks!

You take your hook and line,
With some coarse bread as bait,
Walk through the dense jungle
And reach the Blue Nile's shore!

The river seems crazy,
Her water flows up and down;
The float on your line moves
To the tune of currents!

You watch the water flow,
The bubbles come and burst,
And feel the ripples fight
To take earth under your feet!

You sit under the shade,
Flirting with solitude;
You talk to a tricky fish
That snatches your chances!

You hear from far distance
River Abay's wailings,
From the cascade of dews
That chains her to Egypt!

In her rumblings, you hear,
The voice of Ethiopia,
Her reluctance to change
The age-old course of life,
Through the deep-gorges
Of a stagnant culture!

Again you're exploited;
The fish has taken your food,
A challenge ‘gainst your pride,
You try for existence!

There's a line that links the river and land,
You're Negado Woito, hooked to this sand,
Though cunning big fish snatch your baits away,
Your fishing you must resume on this bay!

For it's not for fishing
That you go for fishing!