'Humans' Cargoes And Shields' Poem by Rev. Surujlall Motilall

Serving my dear country,
will indeed be a reality.
As to my love for humanity,
in one accord of sincerity.

Suriname national anthem
(in Surinamese local language) : -

Opo kondreman oen opo
Sranan gron e kari oen
Wans poe tata komopo
Wi moes seti kondre boen
Stre de f'stre wi no sa frede
Gado de wi fesi man
Heri libi te na dede
Wi sa feti gi Sranan

In English language:

Rise countrymen, rise
The soil of Suriname is calling you
Where ever our ancestors came from
We should take care of our country
We are not afraid to fight
God is our leader
Our whole life until our death
We will fight for Suriname



'Humans' cargoes and shields'

They were all humans, just as you and as me,
tall and small, women, children and men to be.
They were all chained and tied together,
as wild animals, prepared for the slaughter.

They were transported by ships across rough seas,
loaded as cargo-bags, to full all empty spaces.
From bow to stern, below to above deck masses,
They were all counted and graded in classes.

With steel chains around their necks to toes,
they were nothing more but human cargoes.
Tied to each other as animals to the slaughter,
harnessed away in groups by their slave traders.

They sailed the rough seas to unknown destination,
for days and weeks they tossed with dissatisfaction.
some died by brutalisation and some by starvation,
who cared the traders and sailors were not human.

They looked like humans but they were all demons,
smiling faces and painted clothes they looked down.
Into each corners of the sailing and tossing vessel,
only to count the survivors, with their blowing whistle.

The withered were thrown away like dried wooden heap,
into the deep for their bodies to rot and their souls to keep.
Breathless with their hearts in their hands and with dried lips,
counting their days in many ways for survival on time to clip.

A slice of bread to eat without any meat or dare to retreat,
were their daily diet from day to day which had to repeat.
Of its own course to tell with their heads and souls to sell,
to unknown and unmasked masters by words to compel.

They were unloaded as sand bags in chains by ship cranes,
counting their pace by inches to line up for sales with pains.
Bowed to their masters as they were counted in heaps,
graded in classes packed in shelves to be sold very cheap.

They were assorted in different direction with no option,
they were assaulted, insulted, molested without any reason.
They bowed in surrender to their masters with much wonders,
hoping for their plight to end and for God to send a Redeemer.

They were known as indentured slaves from the East and South,
mostly from India and Africa their slave traders were Europeans.
Who have sustained their claims as Gods of this our universe,
they have bordered their claims to be the first and will traverse.

They never stopped to realise the existence of humanity,
whom have the consistency of moral dignity with humility.
They were there to find with awful grind to rob and to cheat,
with suppression and exploitation were their drums to beat.

The natives fought them silently with bows, arrows and spares,
they retreated with smoke guns and none originals were spared.
They invaded the East for tea the South for precious stones,
the West for sugar and gold and the North for oil tones.

They called their smuggled slaves 'immigrant workers',
then 'ethnics minority' then 'contracted labourers'.
then 'aliens', now they been called 'illegal immigrants',
what a disgrace to this type of human race, so bare faced.

My four grand parents with other relatives were on their stocks,
the Dutch and British who have had so ugly faces as one flock.
Not as humans as they have treated humans with demonic forces,
to toil daily with tasks on sugar plantations without happy faces.

From slavery by Dutch tyranny in Netherlands Guiana,
my grandfather fled to British Guiana with his dear son.
like many other Dutch slaves they were all on the run,
the dense forest was open to shield humans from open guns.

Naked were they as leaves to heal and covered their wounds,
for at last to be strong and healthy away from their demons.
They were pursued relentlessly but were all invisible in sight,
not to be seen by their demons as they were out of their plight.

The invaders and slave traders were known as colonialists,
with impurity on their shoulders they became imperialists.
To cheat and to rob the sovereignty and national resources,
and to destroy what God has created like this our universe.

They have surrendered to themselves with hopes to return,
leaving our ruined lives with nothing much more to earn.
They are the devils of today causing our world to go astray,
invading our air spaces which is causing us much dismay.

Our today's national resources are of their benefits,
as they have desired such for nothing or for very cheap.
We have no other alternative but for us to keep working fit,
as we sold to them their chosen prises in wholesale heaps.

They are still in control of our daily life and livelihood,
exploiting and manipulating us destroying our forest wood.
Their sailing ships into our waters and air-crafts in our air,
giving to us grievances with pollution in our hemisphere.

No silent nights or peaceful days that comes to our delight,
as it comes to our daily life living with much despair and fright.
Much more of what we can do non-violence is our only fight,
standing amidst, watching and looking helplessly with plight.

When would they stop to realise that this life is not to despise,
or to destroy the elements of existence but to have endurance.
In morality as humans we are all of one substance no otherwise,
to live in peace, harmony and comfort, as humans with prudence.