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64 Death of the Village Preacher The village is quiet Only funeral dirges Gourds of tears All broken The village preacher is dead! The village preacher is dead! The village preacher who warned of the impending drought The village preacher who rebuked the elephant when it plundered the poor man’s hut The village preacher who criticized the elephant for frittering away the village coffers The village preacher who revealed the elephant’s lie The village preacher who preached peace that year war broke out The village preacher is dead The village preacher is dead! Why did he die? Did he deserve this untimely death? Can’t you death restore the life you have stolen away? Don’t you know the village preacher deserves no death? The village preacher is dead! Now the elephant will plunder the poor men’s huts without shame Now the elephant will lie without shame Now the village planners will squander the village coffers without recourse 65 Now the warlords will wedge war against the innocent without shame The village preacher is dead! Who will rebuke the elephant? Who will shame the elephant? Who will catch up with the elephant? The village preacher is dead! Because the village preacher was a man of truth Now the village is gone Only its gourds of tears will remain Flowing like the waters of the Nile Marking the good works of the village preacher ...

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