Mandela On My Wall

Good morning Nelson; our imprisoned hope Yesterday, in a darkened cell I thrived Firmly manacled by apartheid sorrowful rope And torture upon torture I was served. When shall our freedom come? Your sufferings I have tasted a bit And felt the chains of sorrow on your hands. When dreaded darkness in my cell hit In fear and weariness I could not stand When shall our freedom come? I was mocked by cockroaches and numberless ants That paraded on my body as they pleased. In my ears they made their painful rants And silent tears assembled in my eyes Is freedom coming tomorrow, oh Nelson? For I see beneath your sad wrinkles A smile reserved for tomorrow When freedom's olive oil shall be sprinkled Among us all to happily wallow, When freedom comes tomorrow. During apartheid regime in South Africa, it was common among South Africans to stand in front of Nelson Mandela's portrait and lament their ordeal. They asked the portrait some touching questions like: Is our freedom coming tomorrow? Shall we ever be freed? I have same Mandela’s old portrait and any time I look at it, the sad events of those days fill my memory. For Sydney Leeann’s picture frame contest