Poem for Nelson Madiba Mandela

Poem for Nelson Madiba Mandela

Remarkable! You not only existed, you truly lived
Blessed
generations to be endowed with peaceful deeds
True
greatness is never lost across all times
Through
the rough of it all the peace bell still chimed
We walk
every day in the shadows of oppression
Weakness
of heart you tied down in joyous suppression
They called you Rolihlahla in
tribal symbolism
And what a good trouble you
brought us in true nationalism
You troubled the trouble to
breed precise humility
You broke the back of
oppression with crystal simplicity
Our heavy hearts rewind to your
remarkable African-ness
All the dark faces have been
shown the truest kindness
It’s remarkable the inspiration
wasn’t foreign
You twined the mind and heart
in a consistent run
We could have picked up guns
and spears
But Madiba’s emerged to
simplify our fears
We’ve always been trampled on
for so much a time
We’ve absorbed immorality and
divine crime
But darkness and hatred is what
you despised
27 you weathered so simply with
no hate inside
Who knew hatred is weakness
presented as spite?
You’ve shown that spite and
hatred is a weakness desire
Who now talks fondly of your
jailors except the stinky mire
Values and virtues the true
height and driver of civilizations
If only they become the light
for every nation
You’ve shown with remarkable
fervor their validity
The African Self is a box full
of values quiddity
The ingenious tradition and
African-ness unmatched
Generations will smile-in
Madiba’s life from scratch
Forgiveness always is what
you’ve forever sown
Humility in deeds is what we’ve
come to know
Race is only a concept if not
an intellectual quest
Madiba, you’re gone but we’re
left with a clean path, I guess
Why should we cry when your
humility is here?
Why would we mourn when your
deeds I hear?
We’ve not built rockets and
cars
But Mandela has been ours
You can go now, Madiba!
The life you lived is the way
the world should be!

The only way evil  people prevail is when the good people do nothing