The Umbilical Cord Poem by Chirikure Chirikure

I am not stone, chicken or even wind, no!

There was something that bound me to my mother, in her womb,
For nine months, and I did not lack for food.
There is something that unites me with the human family on earth,
Giving me support and sustenance all my life.
There is something that unites me with the ancestors.
I owe my survival to their guidance and light.
There is something that binds me to the Almighty Creator
Whose hand points out the way for me - in birth, death or resurrection.
Something will unite me again with those gone before, when I follow them.
In happiness or sorrow, in times of plenty or famine,
I will be working hand-in-hand with them.
There is something that binds me to the fatherland - Africa.
They can kill me, torture, harass or even maim me,
I will still persevere.

This something, whatever it is -
This something is why I am here, now, alive
Yesterday, today, tomorrow and forever!

Translation by Charles Mungoshi