I SEE: AFRICA

By Chanda Mapoma
In my eyes
The continent of Africa is heart-shaped
And it’s history, a love letter to it’s promise
I definitely
See peace in the jigsaw pieces of our destiny
Child
Hang on to the wings of your die hard dreams
Why not fly?
I see inside of you the burning hope that their spit couldn’t douse
Let loose your braids and free your mind
Smile
If for no other reason then because your past has passed
I see a pyramid on your grave
It would be a shame if you lay in it
With your mind still enslaved
Princess
Rest assured that the beat in your chest
Is what keeps the world dancing

I see your strength in generations
First class girl from a third world nation

Bare your chest and let your heart song sing
The spirit yearns (only)
The simple things

They say the eyes are a window to the soul
So
I’m going to kneel by the banks of the Nile
And stare, wide eyed at my reflection
Don’t disturb me until I glimpse my purpose
Until we see that we are the brain drain if we came
For greener grass
But alas
Who do you expect to irrigate your motherland?

I see independence actually meaning something
The ‘dependence’ we are in ‘in’
Is in many ways worse
Than the curse
Of colonialism

I see young Africans who put their God before their flag, and their flag before themselves.
I shield my eyes from the sun
Set at an angle unique to home
‘till I realize that’s only the light
from the future we must own.