They never liked him, they tolerated him
Physically present but his essence seemed so far away
He is the same, but truly different
Like who the hell accepts a German name?!
Compared to the rest, his home is humid
Suffocating…
Dense…
The air applying pressure to the lungs, making it hard to catch your breath
Why can’t he be like the rest?
His space…
…a jungle
Filled with trees and vines
Crawling with creatures and critters
Those not from here think it beautiful
But his siblings believe to know better
He is the same, but truly different
While his siblings speak Dutch creole
He clings to the Queen’s language like he it is his own
Creating a barrier that leaves his children isolated..
…afraid…
…alone
Perhaps his relationship with the bottle is all he shares with his family
Malted barley, hops, and water
The holy trinity that binds them together
But even then he remains the same, but different
He vibrates at a different frequency
Living in abundance
Watching as his siblings shrivel away
Becoming wastelands
But even with these differences, many will never understand
Why his mother, Namibia, fought hard to make him part of her land
Ros Limbo is a UK-based Namibian poet, writer and blogger. Her work has been published by The Mighty, The International Bipolar Foundation (IBPF), The Depression Army, and Berlin ArtParasites. Her work has also been anthologised by the Afriwowri (African Women Writers) Literary Project and she was shortlisted for the 2021 Bank Windhoek Doek Literary Awards in the poetry category. Ros is a qualified chartered accountant, avid yogi, and holds a certificate in Afrikan Feminist and Gender Studies from the Thabo Mbeki African Leadership Institute (TMALI). In 2022 she was a fellow of the Narrating Namibia, Narrating Africa Doek Emerging Writers Program.