Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Ethel Irene Kabwato

The Hunter

The Hunter

The Hunter

He left home
Laden with promises
A new arrival
In a foreign land
A hunter on fabled streets
Paved with gold
A shepherd
Feeding his flock
In absentia.

The hunter became the hunted
As back home
The clan demanded forex
And the chefs promised him Homelink
To link him with his forex-orphaned children
Prematurely abandoned
Disillusioned
Trapped.
He became a second-class citizen
As the authorities
Demanded the papers.

Now the hunter
Arms himself with a cell-phone
Like a good shepherd
With his rod and staff
As he yearns for the dawn
While his forex orphans
Sleep and wait.
Close

The Hunter

He left home
Laden with promises
A new arrival
In a foreign land
A hunter on fabled streets
Paved with gold
A shepherd
Feeding his flock
In absentia.

The hunter became the hunted
As back home
The clan demanded forex
And the chefs promised him Homelink
To link him with his forex-orphaned children
Prematurely abandoned
Disillusioned
Trapped.
He became a second-class citizen
As the authorities
Demanded the papers.

Now the hunter
Arms himself with a cell-phone
Like a good shepherd
With his rod and staff
As he yearns for the dawn
While his forex orphans
Sleep and wait.

The Hunter

Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Prins Bernhard cultuurfonds
Lira fonds
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère