JANUARY 26

Painting by Gregory Radionov.

January 26th?

I have no time to be Sarcastic,

My grandma always wanted me to be realistic.

What have we achieved?

From the 27 guns

To the mustard seed.

What has that earned us?

A part from telling stories of self-fame.

You, trained your guns well,

Now they don't care,

They can kill anyone else-

Both women and children.

January 26th

Gave birth to a rotten regime,

From Kampala to Masaka

My Boys are crying because their parents are dying.

The legend of the 27 guns

Is not doing what the manifesto was.

The poor are kept like baits of the new elections

Because they are scared of the guns.

Women are kept under corks,

Because their children will perish so young

And yet the lie is working. 

Bona Bawagagale, Prosperity for All, Securing your Future,

Shit like that is fed to the poor ignorant.

And yet nothing is in place.

What was it exactly that you did that day?

I mean January 26th.

Was there a dream to make Uganda any better?

The Uganda railway,

Uganda Airlines

Soroti meat Parkers,

Bugisu Cooperative Union

Were before January 26th.

Where are they?

Luwero war victims,

Mukura cargo victims,

Were after the 27 guns took their pace.

What was the meaning of the killings?

It started 43 years ago,

And you are still killing many more.

That explains the Legend of 27 guns

On January 26th.

January 26th?

I have no time to be Sarcastic,

My grandma always wanted me to be realistic.

What have we achieved?

From the 27 guns

To the mustard seed.

What has that earned us?

A part from telling stories of self-fame.

By Ochago George William.

George The Tired Poet.