17/06/2026
To be a Ugandan poet
Every point of conversation
is an invitation to
Disrespect.
It starts with, "no disrespect"
Pun intended.
There's always an
Assumption that you
Are redundant and
Always available.
When you introduce
Yourself as a poet
They stare you down
And measure the size
Of your coat
Your relevance is
Weighed
The price of your shoes is
Estimated
You're mentally searched
Openly criticized
Blatantly judged
Ostracized from social
Gatherings and
Branded as unserious
The interrogation begins...
"How is a poet valuable
To society anyway?"
"Why are you wasting
Your time with poetry?"
"Poetry should be a
Pastime..."
To be a poet is equivalent
To being a burden to
Society.
You'll be treated like a
Pauper at events
You will be the example
Of failure
Yet you're an ocean
Of knowledge.
There's no respect for
The word slinger
There's no reprieve
For the lyricist
There no compassion
For the griot
There's no appreciation
For the curators of
History
With every poem,
We preserve our
History and open
Portals to new worlds
Poets have written
Civilizations in
Cuneiform and stela
We write narratives
And heal the world
With our stories
We bleed for humanity
We educate and
Inspire generations
With our language of
Experience.
We are immortal
Our words do not
Suffer the tragedy of time.
A limerick to make
You laugh
An eulogy for the
Departed
An epithalamium on
Your wedding night
An ode for yearning hearts
For every mood,
Feeling or occasion
There's a poem.
But they still ask,
"Why are you wasting
Your time being a poet?"
The Unapologetic Poet-
Throughout history, poets have inspired revolutions. Activists have matched while chanting the words of poets.
Politicians have quoted the work of poets.
Poetry has been used as a catharsis for healing at mental health institutions.
It's why some countries value poets.
