MPBN is partnering with The Telling Room in Portland in August to highlight the work of young writers. Here's "A Barrel of Tears" by Maryse Dushime.
Oh, BURUNDI! My beautiful motherland.
How I miss your presence.
How I miss your warmth spent on a sunny and beautiful
Sunday with la famille at Saga Plage.
How I miss Tanganyika,
The most crowded place in the country.
Easy to get lost and difficult to be found.
Sitting in the sand while looking for entertainment.
Mother, who would rarely let us enjoy your vast brown lake.
Instead you released
Your humongous and horrifying waves
To terrify the countries that surround you.
But it was irresistible not to
Dip one's toes under water,
Because you gave hospitality to the crocodile Gustave le grand
Whose teeth were enormous and deadly.
I can still remember our favorite spot
Because you saved it for us.
"Bonsoir to you all, if you would please allow me
To offer you some of our most wonderful and thirst-quenching drinks,"
Would say one of our favorite servers.
How welcoming your servants were on behalf of you.
But how long we waited for the food.
Oh, Bujumbura! How I miss you.
The city people.
You gave birth to so many different types
After the arrival of the Belgians,
Who created enemies
That transformed into multitudes of friends and family.
Happy times and distinguished memories
You have gifted me.
But with these memories
You have left me
With a tremendous hole of anguish.
Reminiscing on what could have been;
Gathering around the fire under the country castle
With old friends splitting beans under the night sky.
Listening closely to traditional stories told by Sogokuru, my grandfather.
"This will keep us united and shall enrich our culture," said Data, my father.
Fear fills up my soul
That I may never go back at all.
A barrel of tears
Is all that remains with me.
Maryse Dushime is a rising junior at Casco Bay High School in Portland. Originally from Burundi, she has been a prolific writer during her participation in The Telling Room's Young Writers & Leaders program for international teens.