Held captive in the hippos’ kingdom,
And barely escaping to their surprise,
A zebra and a giraffe seized their freedom,
Though war in the jungle began to rise.
Each spoke with gratitude for life,
Claiming to henceforth breathe soundly,
Though each joined theirs in the strife,
Battling to their best, unproudly.
Each led theirs into sounding victory,
‘Til these two kinds were the remaining;
Two would recall their recent history —
The zebra and the giraffe — in their standing.
They each stooped forward and grinned
With earnestness for one another;
Each uttered a commendation, it seemed,
And neither would flee as the others.
Each nodded their heads and walked away,
Imitated by their companions,
As though a wordless accord came to play
Among these two champions.
But a mere dispute from a distant two
Of these two kinds
Came to their ears too,
And the words ripped their minds.
Each gathered many a warrior
And waged war for the price of the dispute;
They were eager to prove which kind was stronger,
Unwilling to cede a foot;
Yet disarmed themselves despite what they heard,
When they recalled the fate of the world — defeated.
Malusi Aphelele Mbangata, from South Africa, has penned several poems featured in literary publications like Writers Space Africa and Avbob Poetry Project. He has also published ebooks on Gumroad, created an Android fitness app, worked as a social media assistant for Wall Of Writers, and interviewed people for People Exercise (peopleexercise.wordpress.com).