Where I Come From

I travelled miles, crossing seas,

age six, then, taking planes,

forced to adapt to this system today,

and move to another tomorrow;

the mind had many teachings, at once - 

what they like to call:

Disrupted Education

I walked many miles, under the fierce sunshine

of Central and West Africa

without food in my stomach, or

money in my pocket, to go to school -

I was chased out of the classroom, because

Education isn’t for free –

I had forty-nine per cent,

Because teacher wasn’t bribed.

No day went by, without the spectacular

Violence and abuse–

Across the streets, children sleeping;

You could count each bone, without needing x-ray

A few gathered around a computer, as if

it was a gift sent from heavens

others simply opened their eyes, when

they saw mayonnaise; it was here I came from.

Teachers taught us all the riches

that lay beneath our fertile land,

then a fire began to burn – within me –

There were fathers, mothers, humans,

with brains, reason, enough ability to change

our situation

why then did my neighbour die,

because she lacked ten dollars to pay?

Many preferred to die at home, rather than go to hospitals –

Healthcare system, a chaos.

It was then, a fire began to burn - within me –

I saw a young little girl, forced to flee the rain

but sent into the ocean – raped

without justice taking place – nobody cared,

they didn’t tell her to leave her homeland.

Families parted, not knowing what fate reserved –

Children deprived of their mothers,

Women humiliated, men barbecued –

Here there were loud thunders,

But humanity has built long walls –

Nobody heard these cries.

It was when I left that I realised;

Injustice is high.

I see bins full of meat, I hear

Stories of lives full of opportunities,

I realise this world is – unfair –

Some bring ethical concerns –

They like to classify the case as complex,

National laws must be respected, they say

But why do they then interfere with the creation

of changeable constitutions,

and applaud exploiting governments?

The laws change as society changes,

But how can our laws change, when

our society still remains the same?

It was the same curriculum, my grand-father studied

the same poems I studied in school.

It was the same hospitals back in 1960, only

now they look more like gas chambers.

Where I come from, there are people

with hearts crying to see humanity

give back to humans their basic rights –

But where I come from, there are rulers;

Blind to human suffering, deaf to cries –

Insensible to a mother’s pain.

Where I come from, there are fathers, mothers,

brothers and sisters

with brains fully functioning, only,

jobs are for the privileged few.

 Where I come from, there is a vast and fertile land

with enough to give my children a bright tomorrow

But where I come from, motherland

Has become a private property

of a few people who deny us our rights,

who have made it clear that as long as they

continue to rule, there is no future for my children.

Where I come from, my homeland deserves

Peace  -

But where I come from, the story is told differently.