To My Childhood Sweetheart....

I called you gacungwa,
when in the innocence
of our youth we played.
With this innocence
we held hands
and spoke the language of
our young love.

I called you honey,
when i discovered its sweetness
and yearned for more of it;
and thought of you
and of the richness of life you
brought to me.

I called you darling,
when mother made me
learn western education;
a word for the heart,
so we were taught.
And from there on,
you became my darling:
Oh how I loved you so.

I called you my dear
when the culture inculcated
in me taught me bette;
of a language of two lovers;
the language of you and me,
and of the love that we shared.

I called you my wife,
when in the wilderness
of the fields
you became mine,
and swore to be with me
till the end of time.

I called you my love,
when though advanced in years,
did i realise
that i felt no different
for you now,
than i did then;
my dear gacungwa.

© brian kamara 2009