Bouquet of Forget-Me-Nots

This poem was written in memory of the first five women killed in the struggle for Angolan independence. They were the first women to join a guerrilla detachment of the MPLA (People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola). All five were captured in 1967 and later murdered.

March 8th

the flowers of the world are for you

for the feminine eyes of the rainbow of the earth.

The flowers of my garden.

from the bushes in flames.

March 8th

with water reaching my chest in the walk to the flowers which must remember

March the 8th

and the hopes of Africa.

March 8th

I don't abandon the arms dreaming

in the silent ambush, that the flowers of the entire world are for you

for the feminine eyes

the rainbow over the

entire earth.

March 8th is denied

to the mankind of Africa.

March 8th

in the war

I pick flowers from the garden

from the total flames

and the solidarity of the

bearded

and dirty

ragged and hungry men

who each carry a weapon

to take a simple bouquet of forget-me-nots

to the public ditch

where they threw the bodies of Irene

and Deolinda

Teresa Engracia

and Lucrecia

and the flowers of my garden

are fighting

for the flowers of the world.

March 8th

I do not abandon the arms of the flowers of shrapnel and of the bloody marches of the war in Angola

March 8th without flowers...

March 8th

the flowers of the world are for you

for the feminine eyes of the rainbow over the earth.

Flowers of my garden.

for the arms are silent satisfied

with the new fragrance.

March 8th

my weapon is the only certainty of the flowers and is also for you

of Angola, in this garden

of war.

March 8th

with arms in exchange for the flowers of the world for you

for the feminine eyes of the rainbow over the world. Costa Andrade   8 March. 1970