Visions of Glory

By Timothy Etoori

This soothing book of poetry will refresh the reader.
The poems provide glimpses of the life all around us.
The book is also inspirational and will cause the reader to reflect on the purpose of life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Apr 27, 2015
• ISBN: 9781504940771

Timothy Etoori

The author lives in Uganda and works as an Accountant. The other books written by the author are a novel entitled Faded Flowers and an anthology entitled Visions of Glory.

Book preview

1. Katanga

The tin roof

Radiates heat,

The damp shirts

Smell of sweat,

From the radio cassette in the corner

Music assaults the senses.

An acrid smell

Stinging the nostrils

Rises from the crude gin,

Sitting, potent,

Yet clear - like water

In the glass.

The men laugh loudly

At obscene jokes,

The bar- maid leans over the table

Breasts exposed,

The chatter clatters

Over the brown bottles.

2. The Prostitute

Down the road

Meanders

A woman,

Smiling at every man.

Hips swinging

Inviting,

Body sheathed

In satin.

Those painted eyes

A direct stare,

Pungent odours

Fill the air.

Gleaming face

Strait legs,

A taste of

Life’s Dregs.

3. Abortion

Pain -

Then stains.

The accomplice;

Braves the darkness

With words

Of comfort.

Push the bundle,

Into the darkness,

Fling it far,

Cold corpse

Into the gutter.

Sighs of relief

Muffle inner grief:

An inner void

Speaks by the silence-

Of helplessness,

Of the emptiness.

4. War

Clouds of darkness reign

Fear sits in the heart,

Dimly in the background

Are the pleas of the wounded.

Bloated bodies

Litter the streets,

Silent vultures

Circle overhead.

Bewildered orphans

Roam the streets,

Violated women

Keep their silence.

These fragments?

Refuse of humanity.

5. Acid Rain

An explosion

Splits the air!

As sirens scream

They rent the dreams

Of those

Asleep

In the sleek cities.

Woken, by violence!

The bereaved weep,

As fear casts its shadow

In a tumult-

Of black rain.

Another hijacking takes place

In the blue expanse of space,

Another bomb!

Leaves darkened stains

Mangled limbs

And groans of pains,

They think they’ve recovered, and then

There’s another missing citizen.

6. Hospital

Stark walls

Echoing halls,

The air

Heavy and still.

A uniform, stiff and white

Bathed in an inhospitable light,

Silently glides

Down a long corridor.

A disembodied wreath attaches to the soul

Sucking out the life blood,

Snuffing out the divine spark

Strangling it somewhere in the dark.

The vital force

Thrashes,

Struggles vainly;

Bourne into the darkness.

Antiseptic fills the air

As the metal tray

Cold as ice

Receives the flesh.

7. Waiting for Heaven?

Waiting for heaven

(While living in hell),

Living by hope

(In a world of grief),

Reaching for the heights

(While fighting for each breath).

How long can I hold on?

(How long before I die?),

Is agony my destiny?

(Is hope only a dream),

Am I living in vain?

(Will I be buried in obscurity?).

Life is like an age down here

(What is it like up there God?),

I can only hear echoes

(Is there anybody feeling my pain?),

I am looking forward to dying

(I’m still waiting for a revelation of life).

8. Success

Twisting and turning

Fighting for air

Raking bodies.

In the darkness

I lodge my foot into the mass

And heave out of the morass!

I emerge;

From the wilderness

From obscurity

From darkness:

Standing

On the pinnacle -

Success!

One instant of glory

One taste of freedom.

Gravity!

Plunges me

Down to the morass.

Once again;

The pain of failure

The burden of labour-

Condemned

To the battle

For survival.

9. Hotel

Room 119

Bare, impersonal,

Crisp sheets encase me

Like a shroud.

Cold tiles

Antiseptic cleanliness,

The soap; a lone blob of colour

Rests in its nest.

The carpet underfoot,

Prickly, dry,

The air conditioner begins to hum,

The curtains stir.

I look out;

In the distance

Blocks of concrete shimmer

In the sweltering heat.

10. The Market

The wrappers

Yellow, orange and black,

Embrace the hips

Of the market women,

Their hair

Bound by bright rags.

The grin of the old vendor

Full of gaps,

His black eyes

Sharp with cunning

As he drives a bargain.

A pyramid of green and yellow orbs

Points towards the sky,

And an open palm of long, elegant

green and yellow fingers

Rests under the umbrellas.

Fish;

Dead eyes stare

Silver bellies in the air

White flesh exposed

Blood and gore underfoot.

The crowds

Leave by a dirt road,

The dust like ochre paint

On their feet,

Their backs bent under the load.

11. Faded Flowers.

A hint of perfume,

A glimpse of lost bloom

Subdued fire

Like spent