Africa's Soul Poem by Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black

I have never been to Africa
I have only seen programs on TV

Verdant jungles teeming with wildlife
and deep, dark mysteries unexplored then
invaded and exploited bringing in the past
the many changes

The plains teeming with lions and wilderbeast
caught in the web of life like we are chained
by a pattern, a cycle that ensnares as Fate
deals its blows

The news tells of humankind's reoccurring pattern
and constant plight: War Violence Starvation get
the upperhand in an ancient land so vast.
There should be none of these bad things

just the songs and happy stories of ancient times,
the heartbeat of Africa's soul

And then I read the poems of their poets
that tell of hope and courage and dreams
as the people rise above their desperation
and breathe the wind of change for the new days
ahead

I have never been to amazing Africa
but everything that is found there can be found here too
I have often said Humanity's greatest achievement
would be if we could ever maintain world peace
and sow the freewill seeds of our fate by
our own hands and thoughts and actions

I have never been to Africa
a land so teeming with life, history and culture.
Everywhere in this world there beats a loving heart
and peaceful mind filled with thoughts,
dreams and desires that begin in the home
and raises the human spirit to soaring heights
and speaks of freedom.

I have never been to Africa
and its people have a dream to realize
to reach and grab and hold on to
and break free to make a better life
for their futures in verdant, vast, ancient Africa's
dynamic soul.