A struggling father’s words to his son

BY EMMANUEL GUMABA

Oh my dear son,
Bau Bau which
Is the name

Dreaming of you every night
Makes me sweat, twist and turn
Sometimes cry with the whistling of the wind

It’s not that dad does not care for you
Dad loves you and wants to prove it
But the tide is beyond grip

The gods of the land are not favourable
Does this mean our fathers have
Gone against the gods
Or is it the children who
Have misbehaved

The truth is the
Wealth of this land is so abundant
With honey and milk
That the gods must be drunk
With the never ending parties at the
High Court

So the peasants have been
Left to collect the scraps at the dinner table
Most gods say it is the peasant’s rightful place
Other gods say we need change

But who knows
Is it just a
Familiar myth when gods are
Up against each other for power
Or the real beginning of a revolution

Do not be surprised
My fellow peasants
A revolution against the gods
Is imminent
But the question is
Does anyone volunteer to predict the result?

Emmanuel Gumaba (26) comes from Oro Province.  He is a business development officer with the National Superannuation Fund of Papua New Guinea