Ballad Of Basdeo Panday Poem by Sookdeo Manansingh

I walked through the farrows
on the sugar cane estate
while the arrows were in bloom
yet I felt the pain in my heart
to witness the sweat and tears
as my brothers and sisters
barefooted work the land

Barely to meet their demands
they toil tirelessly in order
for their children to have
an education and to better
themselves that they
will grow up to understand
what it means to practice
the truth through life

When I realized it will take
more than courage to fight
like a lion I made a commitment
upon myself to lift
the yoke of sacrifice
and move forward despite
the obstacles I must face
to complete the dream

A land rich in nature
under the beams of sunlight
and yet broken by fragments
of shallow minds
kept us in darkness
unable to free ourselves
from the chains of duality
that burns with the passing
of time to make the change
and create a better tomorrow

I listened to the whispers
of silence from within my soul
crying out for justice
that the wealth of the nation
be shared equally
and not to divide that will
cause harm to weaken
a society born out of
colonialism where there
were little choice of freedom
to move forward

To see the pain and anger
buried beneath the soil
as though the quest for hope
never existed all before
with the mantle of faith
and trust in a God
I continued with every breath
to make proud
the children of tomorrow
better themselves in knowledge
to grow wise and become
great leaders by what they
must strive towards

My pray will be answered
because I believe in righteousness
and self-discipline
which I carry as a weapon
no one can remove
which I am fortunate to have
as a lamp before my feet
to move through the darkness
and to overcome every fear
that rest in my mind.
shaped with the words
I use to illustrate the universal
thought
which passes through my mind
to express myself clearly
without any mistake to grow.