Poem: Woe for the African child

By Carol Nakku
Taibah College School

YOU live each second in fear of the next
You wander about in streets always dreading the next corner
Your mouth like a dry desert
Flies rest on you
Woe for the African child …

Forced to kill in cold blood
Forced to sustain pain brought onto you behind closed curtains
Forced to witness the death of your own beloved ones
Silenced with a bitter sorrow
Always dreading what awaits you
Woe for the African child …
Unfortunate to have been born in a world so cruel
Prone to ritual sacrifice in pursuit of wealth
Thrown into marriage like an item for sell
No care. No love. No acceptance wherever you go
You knock. You cry. You plead
But no one ever opens the door
Woe for the African child

Strangers come and go
Each with a different face. Each from a different place
Arabs, Asians, Europeans and many more
A shilling they may give to you
But more they cannot do
Woe for the African child…

But alas! Weep not child
Look unto your people for there’s always a way
May seem like an empty promise but listen to what I say
Hush now child of Africa
Dry your eyes and stop your tears
Don’t be afraid; don’t give in to your fears
Have hope and don’t drain in sorrow
Not all is bad that awaits you tomorrow
Woe for the African child …