A Snowman In Africa

It fell from a grey sky That exhibited darker clouds From the smouldering of the earth Over the land of the rhino It covered all with whiteness And turned the tone of the continent Into emptiness The people and the wildlife vacating the landscape Experienced a mixture of emotions Confusion ran rampant throughout the villages Why now, when the weather forecast was...? What was is...it’s been sunny all our lives! Who can explain this phenomenon? Where’s the witchdoctor? How will our children walk barefoot in the ice? They’ve never known winter like this, No one even owns a winter jacket The snow fell in triangular flakes Some rectangular, or circular And even irregular But none of this was very popular The elders recall a day in 1981 when it last happened The youngsters Google search, but the signal is poor The entire community is looking for answers The weatherman cannot be seen It seems someone is deliberately hiding the truth A prophet came from the neighbouring village Wielding a cane, and out of the snow Built a snowman He came to life and spoke... These are the sorrows of those who died in vain In a land that still harbours so much pain When Ebola and malaria cannot be eradicated HIV and TB are still in existence The snow carries nothing but anger At those remaining who fail to prosper Because of dictators and corruption Inequality, and gender violence The snow smelted overnight And the sky opened to the grey of the rhino The black and white of the zebra To the pride of a lion And the joy of the people