Therapist of the Sudd
By Adut Loi Akok
There is no any other secret way,
king Pharaoh could teach me how
To swim the Nile
Or slither the sudd for my fishing
boat pathway.
I shall not swallow my words
And watch my skin peel off
to cowl the king’s grotesque
face for his honour.
I shall not let their spears hit
The Nile perch underground
or wound a crocodile because
there is no any other secret way
King Pharaoh could cut my tongue
From hauling back the fleeing river
Through the arroyo.
He will never defile the beauty of things
that please the gods we owe them.
The other day there was a cabal
To exile the Nile,
And let the sudd birth itself
a crimson stream.
I shall fight against those knives
That open up sudd’s wounds,
Because I am nothing,
but a therapist of the Sudd.
South Sudanese poet, spoken words artist and an author of a poetry chapbook titled ” The Beauty within us ” He featured on Plot creative magazine, Kalahari Review, Konch Magazine, Mount Kenya time, and best new African poets anthology. His poetry is the reality of his philosophy about life and the art of seeing the unseen colours of human nature, and the environment around him as he grew up.
