Today morning I arrived
First at church
And took the front seat
But at 11am
I am now seated at the back
And it now hits me that
We are not equal before God
For why did ushers keep pushing
The thin poor young man
That I am to hind seats?
It was to create room
For the pot-bellied loaded believers
Who needed more comfort
To dip their hands into pockets
And bless the man of God
Who praised their kindness
And worshipped their wealth
And asked them to rise up
For a HUGE blessing
While the rest of us
Clapped under their weight!
I closed my eyes to pray
And found no tongue
But when I finally found it
I muttered:
“God, are you watching your servant?”
About the Poet
Samuel Kamugisha is a Ugandan journalist, poet and fiction writer. A Journalism and Communication graduate, his poetry and short stories are inspired by his work as a journalist and as an observer of events in his country.
Kamugisha’s poem, ‘The Honourable Weevil,’ was published in Wondering and Wondering of Hearts: A Collection of Poems from Uganda, while his two poems, ‘Flying Papers’ and ‘Priorities’ were long listed for the 2016 Babishai Niwe Poetry Award.
His other prose and poetry have been published by Brittle Paper, Parousia Magazine, DwartOnline, Praxis Magazine, and Africa Crayons, among other places. You can read more of Samuel Kamugisha’s journalism, prose and poetry work on pearltimes.co.ug.
You can also read Painting Soulless Kampala, Priorities, The Stream, Not Just a Number, and Because She’s Female.
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