The General | Ndaba Sibanda

what a voice he had
it tore through corridors
through windows and roofs

as he explained on the board
it echoed and reechoed and  ricocheted  
rendering loudspeakers totally   dispensable

they didn`t call him
the General for nothing
he was a raving and ranting teacher

at assembly he hardly addressed anyone
possibly the headmaster  had a hand in it
for they didn`t get on well with each other

teacher Mthembo worshipped the brown bottle
every day after work he dipped into it religiously
no wonder his voice was abrasive and booming

his unkempt hair missed the touch of a comb every day
had his body been tucked into new clothes before?
second-hand clothes were his hallmarks

learners said his head was full of mathematical formulas
others believed he only drank water via beer
his eyes were reddish and scary

some said he was funny  and frustrated
others said he had traditional woes
all agreed he was a genius

Ndaba Sibanda is a Zimbabwean-born writer. He hails from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.  In 2005 he authored an epic, Love O’clock.  Ndaba’s  poems, essays and short stories have been featured in many and various  journals and magazines like: The Piker Press,  Bricolage, The Dying Goose, Land others . His latest anthology, The Dead Must Be Sobbing was published in March 2013.

He believes “it is right to write, and that writing is his life and second wife”.

Currently he lives in Angola.