Better At Dawn by Barbara Oketta

Better at dawn

When all is silent and the rhythm of the night takes control
And the whisper of your hoarse voice penetrates my being
And everything else does not matter
I say, better at dawn.
When the Chirrup of the birds
Is as distant as a dream,
And your embrace as cajoling as a baby’s stare.
And my hunger for you as desperate as a sneeze,
I say, better at dawn,
When the children are dead asleep
And the maid’s snore fills the house
And the neighbors’ dog
Provides the distraction-
Better at dawn.
Not in the morning when the cups and saucers clatter
And the fear of the school bus
As alive as dawn,
Or lunch time, when the sounds of the keyboard fill the space
As the boss shouts ‘today is the dead-line’
And there is hardly time to sing,
Or in the evening when the family is bustling
And the 9 o’clock news fills the T.V room
As the children run and unsettle everything
Knowing that family time is an unbroken tradition,
I say better at dawn
When the world is frozen
And the rhythm of our bodies much sweeter,
For then, only at dawn
Can I dance to our music?  

Barbara Oketta
Uganda


Published in A Thousand Voices Rising. Buy a copy in Kampala at 20,000/- during the 13t Februaru reading and get wordy cakes for free.