Fatherly Thoughts Poem by Phillip Nine Mafunga

Fatherly Thoughts



I stay alive because I do not trust anyone but God
I stay alive because I love everyone
I do not seek to be loved by anyone but to love all
I am a man of influence and I influence men
I therefore speak what I think and think what I speak

My son you must be whom you want to be in life
Be well guided by them who have been before you
Only fools learn nothing new for they have no capacity to
Wisdom does not come by osmosis but by acquisition
My son you must have knowledge of how things work in this world

My son never labour to please men
But rather labour to make men's lives pleasant
Never be happy when given food, clothes, and accommodation
Nevertheless, be happy when taught the means by which these are acquired.
For it is more honourable to teach a man how to feed himself
Than to feed him all the time, for I do not like donations as they make a man vulnerable.

My son, democracy is but a fallacy as it turns the master into a slave.
Democracy is but premised on lies, egotism and corruption
In Africa my son, we have always had kings and queens absolute in power
Study your history my son and know where you come from
Yes my son, in Africa the family is the nucleus of society
It is the incubation of Ubuntu and a sense of belonging
We are Africans my son, never ever forget that.

Phillip Nine Mafunga
12 August 2019

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
READ THIS POEM IN OTHER LANGUAGES
Phillip Nine Mafunga

Phillip Nine Mafunga

I was born in Harare Zimbabwe
Close
Error Success