I am driving a big and long truck that
does not have good brakes. I am not afraid. I’ve just left my parents house,
heading down on Katembe-Bushuro road. Other drivers are quite reckless so when
we come close to a collision, a slight swerve is all that’s needed to stay
safe. Instead of stepping on the accelerator or brakes with one foot, I have to
use both feet in a clock-wise movement as if pedaling a bicycle. Because of
that, I’m applying a lot of energy. Soon I’m going down a hill and lots of
pedestrians are crossing the road. I would like to honk, and that’s when I
realize that the horn is close to my seat. It’s a bit cumbersome taking my
hands off the steering wheel to squeeze the horn near my seat but I have no
choice. Whoever designed the truck lacked a fundamental comprehension of
ergonomics.
It looks like market day on the road,
folks carrying produce, shouting their merchandise: fruits, vegetables, herbs
and spices, others chatting, laughing and caring less while walking or biking.
Potters display their pots, dishes, jugs and mugs on the roadside. Animals too
make their fears and hungers known; bleating sheep, grunting pigs, and children
crying. Cobblers announce mending shoes and selling sandals made of sisal
alongside tanned boots. In a little church nearby, a rooster crows followed by
bells ringing. At that point I notice one biker behind me in danger of ramming
into me, so I put my head outside the window and ask him to keep some distance
between us. Doesn’t he value his life? He grins, rides to my side and starts a
conversation, asking how long I’ve been driving the truck, where I am going,
why I’m not moving very fast. Even in a dream this is bizarre. But for some
reason I do not ignore him. We talk and the milling crowds of people on the
road no longer bother me.
About the Poem
Whenever I’m on the road I like to steer clear of big
trucks. This fear manifests in my dreamscapes implying perhaps that the courage
I lack in the natural world thrives in the bizarre and logical world of dreams.
Mildred K Barya has
published three poetry collections and short stories in various journals and
anthologies such as African Love Stories anthology, Dreams, Miracles &
Jazz anthology, Moving Worlds: A Journal of Transcultural Writings, Prairie
Schooner, Poetry Quarterly, Northeast Review, and Per Contra. Beginning Fall 2016,
she’ll be Assistant prof in the English Department at UNCA. She blogs at: http://mildredbarya.com/ and is a board
member of African Writers Trust (AWT).
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