My Uniform

On March 21 celebrated Zimbabwean poet Julius Chingono was briefly detained in Harare. His offense was “reciting offensive literature.” The literature in question was his powerful “My Uniform,” which he read on the capital city’s First Street in honor of World Poetry Day.  I reproduce it here:

My Uniform

When the bread bin
is empty
I put on my uniform
my police officer’s uniform
medals dangling down my chest
to the rowdy bread queue
to maintain order
to buy bread
without a hassle

When the maize meal tin
is low
I put on my uniform
my army officer’s uniform
with sergeants gold stars
pinned on my shoulders
to quick step
to the warlike mealie meal queue
to buy the mealie meal
without joining the queue

When I run
out of fuel
I wear my colonel’s garb
with its conspicuous badges
swinging around me
to ghost walk
to the bumper to bumper fuel queue
to by the fuel
from behind the queue

When the family says
sugar is spent
I wear my uniform
my constabulary tunic
to march
to the anxiety charged sugar queue
to suppress all dissent
when I jump the queue

When I go window shopping
I wear my uniform
my patrol officer’s reflector vest
weighed down by silver service medals
clanking noisily
to gain quick entry and to travel free
on public transport

These times of shortages
require uniformed strategies
and uniforms of convenience.

© Julius Chingono

No wonder the authorities were so exercised. The poem speaks volumes of truth and surely hit far too close to home for the comfort of the men in their own uniforms.