Tree Of Inspiration Poem by Deluke Muwanigwa

Tree Of Inspiration.

I was ready to write a poem
A poem about a bird perched on a baobab tree
By the time i raised my index finger
The bird had flown away with my inspiration.

I searched the blue sky for the bird
What i got was another burst of inspiration
To write about the clear blue sky
And the infinity of the heavens

Again i raised my typing finger to write a poem
And from nowhere clouds rolled across the sky
My inspiration, again, shrouded by clouds
Blown away to the recesses of my mind

Every poetic idea flying away
And this made me think of writing a poem about that day
That day my father flew away during the war.
At the hands of his comrades

I been seeking answers for forty years
Answers to why his erstwhile mates caused us tears.
Remembering there's an African saying which swirls in my mind
Everytime i want to dig deep into my father's passing on,

That, 'If you are not prudent in seeking what killed your father, what killed him may also kill you.'
I stopped writing a poem about my father
Rather, sat under the baobab tree
Waiting for a bird to bring inspiration.

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