ninehillsRAMBLE in the JUNGLE
Decades of Powerlessness
By Wanaku Verdzekov · · The Cameroons
Date note: Estimated (2014).
Tags: poem, power, voice, people-power
There was once a man who lacked vocal power.
So he sought other kinds of power.
And he found it.
It was not good for the people.
The people have vocal power.
But they will not sing.
So the man kept all power.
Until…
TribalMonk
— Wanaku Verdzekov
Reading & grammar
Reading level: Gr 7–9
Understand
- What kind of power did the man lack?
- What power do the people have but not use?
- What might happen after "Until…"?
Grammar focus: the open ending. The poem ends with "Until…": an ellipsis that leaves the story unfinished. An open ending makes the reader imagine the outcome.
Try it: Write two possible last lines that could follow "Until…".
Discuss: Why might people with a voice choose not to use it? Discuss reasons and remedies.