Mihret Kebede

Let me have a polite conversation with my country

Let me write a poem to benefit my country,

even if I’m not able to write a poem for my country like the wise poets write,

even if I’m not the legal husband of my country or a leader

let me still water the dry land with planted sweat

let me slip in by the fence as a lover.

By the front by the top by the upper upper door

they closed the gate open but the gate never fits,

it never fitted you, probably it never properly

fit the bowl

either way either way…

I don’t want to ask you to marry… Instead, let me write you a poem

Let me fit a poem… to benefit my country.

My writing of poetry will never stop… my writing of poetry will never cease

collecting the hill of words,

The poetry of the people… is the melody of the people

until I grow vines I will… fit you with my poetry,

until I twist lines here I will… build a rhyming house here for you,

Because the lid doesn’t fit and the leaders don’t fit

and they always leave the door open,

and they always leave the lid of the pot open

so the raider can scoop things out and scoop things out and scoop things out…