Somewhere in Africa,
A dark skinned child
Lay on clay soil, laughing away
The earth’s worries.
His mother, braiding cornrows
On his sister’s 4C hair,
Discussing the business
Of the neighbour’s daughter,
Who is conveniently
Absent from their midst.
A man, assembles his
Remote tools into a barrow:
Hoe, spade, cutlass.
The ridges are made,
Seeds sown,
He stares at his empty land,
Nothing’s growing.
The sun is out,
The cloud’s at bay,
A prayer escapes from his lips,
Lord, please let there be rain.
They have food for their stomachs
Only for a meal,
A day.
A man steps upon clay soil,
To the sound of a child’s laughter:
Water glistens upon his skin,
His stomach churns;
But two hands are outstretched
Towards him.
He smiles:
Picking up the laughing reason
Why everything is all worth it.
The above image is courtesy ofΒ British Ecological Society
Love this ππ«
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you very much Heather π
LikeLike
Love your content especially this little entry π
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is so good! “Picking up the laughing reason, why everything is so worth it!” Made me smile!
LikeLiked by 1 person
perfect and stunning lines, each line has a valuable meaning!!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Looove
LikeLiked by 1 person
So beautifully expressed π
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! I appreciate it π
LikeLike
This is so beautiful.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you very much Rajaneesh π
LikeLiked by 1 person
A very thoughtful poem….
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Ady π
LikeLike
:’) BEAUTIFUL! I admit when I saw the pic (before reading) I thought of Madagascar movie. XD Hehe.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hahahah, Inky! Thank you
LikeLike
β€ Proud of my African roots. π
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hahaha, me too π. Thank you
LikeLike
This is great!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you very much Marie π
LikeLike
Oh my heart leaps. I so want to go back and see the landscape, the animals, feel the warmth.
LikeLike
Awwww. It is beautiful. Which country(ies) did you visit?
LikeLike
I have been to Morocco, Egypt, Kenya, and Tanzania. I liked Kenya best
LikeLike
Glad I discovered your blog.. I have been studying African Literature for a while for my research work, and trust me I am so much moved and inspired by all of their writings… Could relate a lot to your piece.. loved it.. I too write on somewhat similar topics.. Would love to know your perspective on my works someday… p.s – you have an amazing blog.
LikeLike
woooow this really awesome. i hope i will have a walk with in my homeland
LikeLike
Beautiful.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aww thanks β€οΈβ€οΈ
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Discussing the businessΒ
Of the neighbourβs daughter,Β
Who is conveniently
Absent from their midst.”
This cracked me up.
Really interesting post…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you very much! Hahah, I am glad it did π
LikeLike