Poems of Reflection - Author: David ESK Gbongbor
Poems of Reflection - Author: David ESK Gbongbor
African Unity - The Path
African Unity - The Path
AFRICAN UNITY – THE PATH
Together we were all one.
Bonded by nature that never fails us.
Brilliance is our culture, and
Our values second to none.
But today our bonds begin to shake.
Hold tight for together we are ever strong
Together we sit around the fire place.
With elders we gracefully listen to their stories.
Stories that told us to stand together.
Stories that made us value our values. In troubled times, our ancestors shielded us,
Protecting us from the hands of the evil one.
Never did they relent
Because, in their hearts,
Unity was upheld.
Together we speak as one.
With one heart we fought against slavery,
And with one voice, we spoke against oppression.
Our freedom was brutally stolen from us,
And the bonds that held us together was tested.
In our hearts, we were not broken, but stayed firm.
Like the warriors that bestowed dignity on our clans,
Mandela, Nkrumah, Kenyatta, Nyerere and them all
Dreamed of one Africa, born in songs of patriotism
Songs that reminds us that unity is strength
The unity we all sort today.
Together our freedom becomes our nightmare
Someone will say it is our new norm
Some others will say, we participated
But who put the wedge between us?
Not you, not me but who?
Why did we harbour the wedge?
Yes, we seem broken, but not shattered
Hanging together by the identity that defines us
Africa, wake up and rise above them all
Wake up from your slumbers.
For when the cock crows in the dawn
We must be seen marching together
Else the unity we sort will be at distance
Unite Africa, for unity is strength.
Oct. 2017
THE FALLEN HEROES
THE FALLEN HEROES
Today I come
Not as a hero, but a patriot.
Yes! May be a hero
One who sees bravery in others
Wiping away tears from the afflicted
Indeed, we will remember you.
Today I stand here
Knowing you are on the frontline
Exposed to nothing, but fire
Fire from the foe that vows to kill
Bravely you stood up high!
Stood between fire and your country
Thinking about nothing but freedom of the oppressed
Surely, we will remember you
You loved a job that defends the weak
Vowed to attack only when attacked
But deep in you, peace was your goal
The roar of gun shots, drowned you in fear
Occupied your thoughts as you think of loved ones
Loved ones that know not what sleep means without you
At a distance we exchanged hugs of affection
For this we will never forget you
Even when it gets tough
You still moved on
Patrolling in muddy paths, and
Swimming in stormy waters
Knowing fully well that
Death! the cruel one
Was just around the next turn
Forever, we shall remember you
Not once did you quit
To the young and generations yet unborn
You became a perfect role model
Injecting in them, the spirit of love and courage
You are the right one
You are the moment we need
Above all, you are the true hero
For this we will always remember you
November 6th 2019
The Color – Being Black
The Color – Being Black
The color
My color, and your color
Not by choice, but natural
I am Black, not by choice
But, nature made me so
The color, my inside, is human
You are what you are
Not by choice, but natures design
Sent to reap the sweet vines of the world
We are all meant to be,
Beautiful creatures of nature,
Made by the beautiful hands of the invisible
But my life, worth not a dime to you
The color, my life, why take it away
Why is my being your distress
When you pass by, I smile to welcome you
The eyes in me, see a brother, a sister, in you but
When I pass you see hate,
Am I crime
Am I human
What do you see in me, tell me
The color, my color
I did not chose, nor regret to be
You choked me, I can’t breathe, I die
You kneed my neck, Nailed to the rock
I can’t breathe,
I die I go jogging, you see me, I die
In your company, I feel no safe
What am I to you
Who am I to you
Where next do I turn to see justice
I can’t breathe
But justice cannot hear my cry
I can’t breathe, but justice always asleep,
Asleep when I need it most
I can’t breathe
My color, yours
Your color, mine but
What you fail to see
Is HUMAN,
Just a HUMAN BEING
By David E.S.K. Gbongbor
For Too Long
For Too Long
FOR TOO LONG
For too long, you took them away from home And brought them to the strange land
For too long was the journey And some died on the shelves You fed them to the fish
For too long you labor them on the farm And gave them little to feed
For too long they labor - and labor And nothing to show for it in the end
For too long families were separated And never again did they reunite
For too long they fought for freedom And never got it
For too long they fought for survival And for too long their suffering continued unabated
For too long you pretended to care with a smiling face But like Caesar they felt stabbed And dropped dead
For too long they get slain on your door steps And yet justice never speaks out But instead label them
For far too long they proved to be human too But never did you recognize them Yet you see them otherwise
For not too long when they broke the chains of bondage You cannot bring them back home So!
For too long they roam the streets Looking for shades to rest
But nowhere did they find one
To the islands of unstable nature you inhabit some of them And natural disaster Becomes their wake up alarms
For too long they wait for justice And for too long they never found any
Waiting to hear from you to say
I AM SORRY
Composed and written:
By David E.S.K. Gbongbor (February 22, 2018)
Christmas
Christmas
C omrades, it’s that time of the year again to reflect on the year as we move closer to the end.
H ard work and dedication to our noble profession has always been the passion that keeps us going.
R emember that developing the children we are entrusted with is the best reward to ever dream of.
I n these trying times, patience is what we all need to keep our hopes and dreams alive.
S easons come and go, but we remain in the same times in this world of trials and tribulations.
T ake this time to spend with your families and loved ones. The best gift you can ever have.
M ake the best out of everything, because no one can do more than their utmost best.
A s we reflect on this year, we hope to make the new year ahead, an even more successful one.
S o dear friends, this is what we have, develop a positive mental attitude to all challenges you encounter, because the change you desire to see in this world begins with YOU YOURSELVE
HAPPY HOIDAYS TO YOU ALL.
December 2019
Africa Oh Africa
Africa Oh Africa
7The Fifth
International Multicultural-Multilingual Poetry Reading In conjunction with United Nation's Dialogue Among Civilizations Through Poetry Gallery ConneXion March 21, 2004 Fredericton, N.B., Canada DAVID E.S.K. GBONGBOR Sierra Leone, West Africa
AFRICA! OH AFRICA
Oh Africa what a wonderful mother you are
Even with 54 children, you still survive as a single parent.
Oh Africa, how lucky you are,
See you have all the natural resources of the world
However, Oh Africa! You still cannot cross the poverty square.
Africa, Oh Africa, how rich you are,
See you have very rich soil and all sorts of vegetation of the world
Yet, your children are always hungry.
Oh Africa, born in family of five children,
Tell me, are you the first or last born?
America, Europe, Asia and Australia you say are your brothers, but did you grow up together?
Did you respect each other's values? Yet they say they discovered you....
Oh Africa tell me your last name, did you say CONTINENT? I see!
Yet most see you as a small Island country.
Africa you open your doors so wide for your brothers and their children to enter,
Yet your own children find it very difficult to visit them.
Oh Africa, I pity you.
When your children fight, your brothers supply them with whip to beat and kill each other.
When your children fight, your brothers party in your natural resources
When shall you reap what you sow?
Oh Africa look up the skies and see the smiling face of the creator,
He still loves and cares for your needs, so never give up trying.
I know you need peace, hope and love. But you need love most.
I know you need UNITY,
But not the unity in frustration and disbelief
The one that last forever
Africa, trust me all is not lost. Just build up your trust, confidence and strong patriotism.
Develop a positive mental attitude towards each other,
One day you shall be great
One day your star will shine, and
One day you shall be called-USA
UNITED STATES OF AFRICA
YOUR BEST
YOUR BEST
THE BEST YOU CAN GIVE TO MAKE IT HAPPEN IS THE MOST YOU HAVE
YOUR BEST CAN NEVER BE THE SAME AS SOMEONES BEST
SO DO NOT EVER LOOK DOWN UPON YOURSELF
IF YOU FIND YOURSELF STANDING AT A LEVEL WITH SOME OTHERS ABOVE
AND OTHERS BELOW YOU
TAKE IT AND BE CONTEMPT, FOR THAT IS YOUR BEST POSITION AT THAT TIME
KEEP TRYING AT ALL TIMES AND NEVER GIVE UP IN GIVING YOUR BEST.
IF YOU MEASURE YOUR BEST BY SOMEONES BEST, YOU MAY NOT FIND HAPPINESS BUT DISTRESS
BECAUSE, YOUR NATURAL BEST IS NEVER GOING TO BE THE SAME AS OTHERS
BE LOUD IN YOUR SILENCE AND ALWAYS MAKE YOUR BEST KNOWN
AND CHANGE THE ENVIRONMENT THE BEST WAY YOU CAN FOR ALL.
Grateful Students
Grateful Students
To those that knowledge was shared and given
Gratefully we absorb their acknowledgement
For to be grateful is divine And to acknowledge is spiritual
Deeping my hands to the bottom of my heart I bring out recognition of your kind return
For this our act to you Has brought you thus far
And for this act of ours We feel so proud
Because, the seeds we planted Yielded the right fruits.
To you all, once more I raise my heart.
May 20, 2020