Martin Worster
The Mirror Cracked
The clear run gave out finally
At the edge of central Harare.
The tail-back was a hundred metres or more
And I was herded into the wrong lane
By a vicious 4x4,
Forced to buy a paper from the vendors
Moving down the cars like priests
Administering Mass.
And that was when I saw her
Drifting in their wake:
Large empty eyes and fearful infant face,
Shreds of cloth struggling over bloated bones.
Her tiny hand outstretched (as if she
Felt for drops of rain on that cloudless April day)
Could barely reach my rolled-up window.
Mercifully the lights had changed
Before I had to look her in the eye.
I still can’t.
At the edge of central Harare.
The tail-back was a hundred metres or more
And I was herded into the wrong lane
By a vicious 4x4,
Forced to buy a paper from the vendors
Moving down the cars like priests
Administering Mass.
And that was when I saw her
Drifting in their wake:
Large empty eyes and fearful infant face,
Shreds of cloth struggling over bloated bones.
Her tiny hand outstretched (as if she
Felt for drops of rain on that cloudless April day)
Could barely reach my rolled-up window.
Mercifully the lights had changed
Before I had to look her in the eye.
I still can’t.
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