Juba 1977 Poem by Dr. Ahmed Gumaa Siddiek

I
I came down off the plane
To face an everlasting green plain
Stretched before my eyes
An eternity, but a paradise
II
My lungs filled with the tropical drops of rain
Slapped my face with small grains
And hit my rotten body
To remove all my pains
Severe pains of long history of long captivity
III
Out of the plane, then I came down
Geography my welcoming hostess to the town
And history honored me with the native crown
Here I do belong,
So, why did I stay away that long?
IV
Then beyond, from among the race
From among the whole race
I saw your beautiful face
Yes…
I saw your beautiful face
Your lovely face, that I can always trace
from among million of faces
Shining like our tropical sun
Rich with beauty, full of fun
V
Then I saw your hand
Highly raised in the air
Inviting me with all love
to draw near and near
And then I felt the fire
the tropical fire, there
There, in my heart
And almost everywhere
VI
When I saw your beautiful face
Among those beautiful races
I drew near and near
Then you took me in your breast my dear
And I cast all my soul
Like a newborn in your arm
To stay there safe and calm
VII
I came down
Then you took me through the town
Our beautiful town
Everything was happy,
The human beings
The animals,
The trees,
The birds,
The butterflies
The beasts
And the bees
And the naked boys with shining skins
Happily playing in the muddy streets with their kins
And there our African dogs happy and free
Anywhere they can flee, eat, or sleep,
and can freely meet and mate
VIII
The tropical rain hit my cheek
And words escaped me to speak
But at last I did reach the peak
Oh, my African queen, here I am back
So, hold me tightly to your breast
And let me have my long rest
This is at last, my nest
IX
I am here to remain
And live my days once gain
So, please hold me tightly in your arm
And feed me from your African farm
Fresh tropical milk and let me dream,
The dreams of the Nile
And tell me all the tales of the frogs
And the dogs
And the tale the crocodile
X
Here I belong and come to stay, my darling queen.
And will never run or turn away
I am here to stay
On my African land
To plant smiles and hopes, in our tropical sand