Beyond the Mountain Prayer
Under the sun that burns so bright,
Africa struggles in its eternal plight,
"Developing," they say, a softer phrase,
But the truth speaks louder through a hazy gaze.
We crawl through fields meant for harvest and gain,
Where seeds fall on soil, yet yield nothing but pain,
Dependence on others; the nations that lead,
While we kneel and pray, they sow and they feed.
Religion, a comfort, a spiritual balm,
Yet the church holds too tightly to its holy psalm,
Praying for riches without sowing the land,
Forgetting God gave the seed, but we must till with our hand.
An Ai IMAGE
Can maize grow on mountains where our tears fall like rain?
Can wealth bloom in hearts without sweat or strain?
The principles are simple, like seasons we reap,
Yet we beg the divine, while our fields fall asleep.
Our dreams lie not here, but beyond distant stars,
Eternal life promised, as we ignore earthly scars,
Joy, joy, joy, in heaven we'll find,
As the world that we walk on is left far behind.
Children are taught in classrooms to sing,
That joy’s up above, and here it’s a fleeting thing,
And so the spirit soars, yet the body is bound,
To earth left untended, with no progress found.
Where is our creativity? Our spark in the dark?
Where is the fire that the world should mark?
We teach to conform, to wear flattened shoes,
To wait for a desk, not paths we should choose.
For in many a home, a father will say,
"Work for the state, let that be your way,"
While in other lands, children are told,
"Forge your own path, let your vision unfold."
The minds that once built, with hands rough and worn,
Now sit and await what will never be born,
While those across seas dream bigger than land,
We grow content, a future unplanned.
Yet hope glimmers bright, as horizons draw near,
Awakening spirits from their sleep of fear,
For I believe, perhaps we all may see,
That Africa’s fate lies in our hands, bold and free.
The prayers we sing, let them be for rain,
And the work of our hands shall lessen the pain,
From soil to sky, our roots will reclaim,
And a continent rises, unbound from its shame.
This is deep. “Developing” is an understatement. In the last 10 years, Arica has gone from breaking free from the white people's chains and shackles to imprisoning and enslaving themselves.
We don't even want to invest in ourselves because there are better alternatives outside Africa. Presently, everyone is cool with the “Japa” trend without really thinking about what the future consequences would be and have on future generations. I believe Africa will become a great continent in the future but if we don't build it who will do it for us?
On another note, the generation seems to be waking up and forging a new path with the help of the internet, even if some are sowing bad seeds, the few who are going the right path will eventually evolve to make it great someday. All it takes is sowing one good seed one at a time.
Hmm, you captured it all. It is sadden to see that the youth has lost hope for the better future of this country and even Africa at large. The trend 'japa' has been the order of the day. Almost all the youth if asked what your plans are. They all echoed. I want to japa. Many are of the opinion that if they eventually japa, at least there is a better future for the kids out there. However, we forget that the so-called mentality of the enslavement is still there. No matter how great we are over there, we are always second-class citizens.
Hopefully one day Africa will improve its situation, more than a regret this is a call to collaborate among all for a better world
You're right. We need collaboration among ourselves. The question now is where do we start?
Can maize grow on mountains where our tears fall like rain?
Can wealth bloom in hearts without sweat or strain?
This is as same as say that there's no sacrifice with blood. Your rhetorical questions are highly captivating.
Thanks for stopping by. I'm glad you can relate with it.
This is just beautiful! The words and the rhymes, every sentence speaks clear and elegantly about the pain and hope there is. Usually I skim, just to repeat reading again for the sake of sincerity, whenever I read poems where words don't exactly flow like rhymes, I get that it does not always have to be like that, but when a a work like this pops up I'm amazed. The idea, intent and how it just flows from the start to finish captures me. The delivery was great.😀
I'm happy about the compliment and the fact that you picked one or two messages from the poem. It is true that rhymes have a way of keeping readers glue from the beginning to the end. Thanks for stopping by.
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