April Showers

When in April
the showers fall,
soaking the red Earth,
they remember.

Sky rockets fly
Habyarimana falls
scattering hope
like stars across
the red universe.

Those dark skins
Hutu in truer African glory
Oppressed embarrassed
by pale skins to
their Tutsi family.

Like the sky falling
raining stars across
the red universe
The night concealed
family murdering
family murdering
family mur-

“Hide Tutsi scum
hide and we will find you
cowering under rocks
under cabinets
We will destroy your
homes that were our homes

Your whiter faces
once favored by pale races
are now the dregs of
our species.
Filth that must be cleaned
from our slate!”

One hundred days
times eight thousand lives
amounts to the loss
our human race suffered.

Fetid swamps were
muddy destroyed streets
within forests of the dead.
They say to never walk over graves
How can one avoid them now?

Identification cards required
If they do not read Hutu
if they do not look real
you know what to expect

Expect the sky to fall
in an April shower
of bullet casings
reminding you
and your family
how worthless you are.

When in April
the showers fall
soaking the red Earth.
The blood spills
and soaks deeper
than rain ever could
staining tracts
in memory.

The April storm
broke late June.
Eighthundredthousand
souls joined God
who chose every night
to sleep over his beautiful
Rwanda.

When in April,
the showers fall,
soaking the red Earth
they remember.