IMBONGI

IMBONGI
(Praise Singer)

The time has come, he said,
to speak of things that matter;
not of the living dead,
wasting away in idle chatter;
but of things still to come,
growing from which had been;
to change we must succumb,
and this we have all seen.

Be it in fancy stately mansions,
or humble eclectic erected shacks,
whether wearing labelled fashions,
or attired in maize meal sacks;
our youth's strength is what we teach;
the ground on which they stand,
and how deep their roots will reach,
has been placed in our hands.

Africa is the cradle of mankind,
in it's future and past,
folklores and visions are entwined,
with the dye that has been cast;
where the young are teaching old,
and teaching one another,
uniting us all in one fold;
bringing us under one cover.

Irrespective of where you roam,
wanderer seeking to sojourn,
a house is not a home;
or a real reason to return,
unless it contains food,
and fire for the mind,
in which to be imbued,
as well as the body to unwind.

So to our heirs,
let us now bequeath,
our laughter, not our tears;
so when they lay a wreath,
they will honor Ubuntu tradition,
which we have instilled,
through desultory transition,
not allowing it to be distilled

Ubuntu: The people, or the spirit of the people 

Line count excluding title and translations
40 lines
Word count excluding title and translations
114