Rise up and Speak

by Paul Gondwe   Mar 15, 2012


I was born and raised
in the warm heart of Africa,
where i spent my days hearding cattle
in the green savannah grasslands

At night,
we sat round the fire
while elders told us stories of our
great ancestors

Of their journeys and persecution,
their victorious battles
and how with greed and corruption,
they found themselves slaves

I watched with sadness as elders
of the clan shed tears
for the lives lost,
for the African dream that was shuttered

We felt the pain in their eyes,
we saw the anger in their voices
Day in and day out,
the yorks on their shoulders grew

That was years ago
and they are all in the ground
but their words still linger in my head
i still hear their voices telling me, 'rise up and speak'

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Latest Comments

  • 13 years ago

    by East Poetry

    I could picture you sitting around the camp fire,
    a good lesson learned here is to always listen and take the advice of others, through stories you can learn a lot.

  • 13 years ago

    by Max

    This is powerful poem by you
    yeh the words of wise old wise men always stay in mind even if many years passes by
    i love the imagery and the flow
    "rise up and speak"
    gr8 words are only said by gr8 men
    Thanks for posting this 5/5 keep writing =)

  • 13 years ago

    by LoVerSLaND

    Beautiful, def creates an imagination. 5/5

  • 13 years ago

    by Chelsey

    This was excellent... it its a beautiful thing when elders leave footprints and sweet memories in our hearts...great write. I can tell this was really heartfelt

  • 13 years ago

    by silvershoes

    Powerful and very, very real. I remembered your memories like they were my own, felt the quiet fury and intention like they were my own, and nodded my head to the final message... like it was meant for me.

    5/5

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