Farewell, John Garang

Go forth, brave hero.
Strong, as the wind that blew you away.
Towering, as the mountains that snatched you from us
Ageless, as you'll always be. A rock.

There are rocks that crumble
When the earth trembles
Others that tumble down
When the floods start to flow; Some that melt away at the touch of a scorching sun.

And there is you,
Always an anchor.
In death as in life
Demanding justice.
The rock.

Should we hate time, which
Like a thief in the night
Stole you from us?
If time be our enemy,
So is wind and storm and night and dawn.
Which of them is innocent of this horrid plot?

Fly away sweet soul, but
Rock that you always were to us,
Stay, and Henceforth, comfort us
In your mighty stillness.

Had we known, had we but known
That you would be gone so soon,
Would we have done otherwise? Would we not have designed
To pluck you away from the furious winds?
I swear we would have tried.

Still, the gods would have been faster
As they always were!
Jealous of your wise company
They weaved their envy
Into a torrid fury
And turned nature into our foe
Simply to have you with them.

Beloved rock!
Here yesterday, gone in a twinkle.
May your spirit bloom
Into a million flowers
Under those splendid stars
That will forever sparkle
Above the wretched mountains
That took you away
That awful night.

Hope Kivengere
Kampala