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
Copyright © Joseph Osita | Year Posted 2011
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