Transliteration
by Jennifer Rahim
Tyrannies reside in a vowel
and more—
history-lesson Ukraine bring:
how powers dat be conspire
to shackle a people,
an erase dey song.
Kyiv, we hear you.
We know well dem language wars.
Bombs draw blood first is tru,
like sword sharp, an dat history
is no blue moon, but it blue.
Gunman surround you, too,
put bullet in future brite-
brite like sunflower
is a colour
dat haunt a whole geography.
Silver, too, cud bleed ah body fas
or slow like currency
is detonator dat sink big-big island.
So we hear you —
an we wonder if you see better
now dat freedom is your fight,
we wonder if you see
how people is people,
an respect is due.
We want a world dat is better,
so we stand wit you
gainst dem dat war
dem dat want /
dem dat waw / wah bring you dong.
Photo by Robert Anasch on Unsplash.
