Innocence

The Dark Cloak

Without hesitation, man dazzled the bountiful land.

That is until – the dark cloak descended.

A dagger penetrated the art of living

Bewilderment of the minds numbed the earth still.

Those who sprinted learnt to jog,

Those who jogged learnt to walk,

Those who walked learnt to stand still.

Life as they knew was washed away

They closed the heavy doors behind them.

Eagerly searching for answers

They watched the parting clouds

Wondering if they will ever reconcile.

They watched the rain drops roll down the drains

Wondering where they will end up.

They listened to the chirping birds

Wondering what message they had to bring.

They watched daffodils break the ground

For a sense of normality.

The heart longed for hugs and kisses,

The lips learnt to smile from a di...

Departure

Remember the days they ran

Into the woods to be at one with nature.

They NAVIGATED their way

around the old aged wise trees.

They were saturated with awe

As the birds TWEETED in perfect harmony.

The sun flaunted its opulence

As it pierced through the comforting CLOUDS.

The amazement never whittled away.

In that space they toured the

WONDERFUL WIDE WORLD.

Their minds grew as they etched

Their FACES in their BOOKS.

SAM SUNG joyously with

A sway in his footstep

As the smell of the nectareous

APPLE pie beckoned him home.

They are now garbed in the pacifying garment.

Lured into NAVIGATING their way around

The engulfing WORLD WIDE WEB.

Swamped with emotions whilst TWEETING all night long.

The hackers flounce their prowess

As they sear through the elusiv...

Take me

They put me in class B.

Get caught taking me,

You are looking at

Possession with up to 5years.

Get caught

Supplying and producing me,

You are looking at up to 14 years.

My People what are you looking at?

Why do you winnow with a winnowing

That yields to nothing.

I look around to find me refaced.

The new miracle plant is replaced with CBD.

Beauty shelves are graced with CBD.

Magazine pages are laced with CBD.

Shop fronts are enchased with CBD.

Health shops are vambraced with CBD.

But remember,

Get caught taking me

You are still looking at doom and gloom.

My people why do you unbrace me,

Please, Please

Emface me to the 21st century and beyond.

That’s not a job for someone else...

Rainbow - Over the Rainbow (Closure)

As the world rages

I see a rainbow of mankind

Looking over the horizon.

Standing

Row by row,

Shoulder to shoulder,

Hand in hand,

Singing

In perfect harmony.

Hoping and praying for a peaceful world for all. 

Africa - Over The Rainbow

Africa the nation of wonder

They took the child

Away from wonder.

But wonder

Will always be in the child.

When your body alliterates to

The sound of the music.

When your tongue dances to

The rhythm of the soul food.

When your feet graces

The ground like a king.

When your pen bellows

To reveal your inner thoughts.

When the globe is illuminated

By the glow of your skin.

Just remember,

That whilst the child may

Have left Africa,

Africa never left the child,

Africa will NEVER leave the child.

You are close to home

More than you will ever know.

Fragment – Over the Rainbow

The colonial masters came

With abounding plans to fragment.

They spread their wings over the diamonds,

They suffocated the gold,

They pecked at the copper,

They smothered the platinum,

They cornered the cobalt into their web,

They scurried away with the cocoa.

They clipped the wings of those

Left behind with

Fragmented land

Fragmented culture

Fragmented language

Fragmented sense of purpose

Fragmented sense of direction

Fragmented minds.

Once orderly people are now

Left with fragments they are  

Painstakingly trying to piece together.

What an arduous task lies ahead,

But with God’s guidance it will be done.

Elevate

Conceal your voice

Elevate you minds

Meaningful change

Is borne from

Ennobled minds

Not

Clattered conversations.

The Right Thing

Doing the right thing by everyone

Does not guarantee that everyone

Will do right by you.

The thorns will be scattered in your path,

              They will prick,

              They will draw blood,

              There will be desolation,

              There will be anguish,

              There will be anger,

              There will be tears,

But carry on you must!

Mama - Over The Rainbow

I liked to clutch my arms around

Mama and feel the warmth of her body.

I cherished the sound of her soothing voice

And mastered every expression on her face as

She shared tales with us under the tree.

I liked to watch the sunrise with Mama

She promised to teach me how to

Plait my hair and cook lots of food.

I heard whispers about Mama

Being taken away by men with

Strange coloured eyes who shone in the dark.

I waited a long time for Mama

To return from the Door of No Return.

I will tell my children tales under the tree

Just like Mama used to tell me and pray they

They don’t notice my pensive voice unlike Mama’s.

I will teach them how to

plait their hair and cook the way I know how.  

I will tell my children stories about Mama

because they will never meet her.

I will watch the...

The Tide - Over The Rainbow

At the high tide,
The sea cradled us blind,
Nurtured our egos,
Gilded the guilt of our ills,
Caressed the conscience in our hearts.

At the low tide,
The sea left the skeleton
Of our tangled actions ashore,
Our guilt engraved on the pebbles,
Our conscience straggly with contrition.

We wonder and ponder,
Upon our actions
Of the past.
Tis a heavy price
To pay for our sweet tooth.
Oh Lord
What have we done!

This piece was written to express the moment of realisation of the oppressors and their descendants.

Over The Rainbow is a poetic collection capturing the perspective of various members of the global community over time, stemming from the Atlantic Slave Trade.