I Grieve For My Country Poem by Daniel Mentor

I grieve for my country, I grieve
Our eyes have seen our ears
We have eaten of our own dung
Is this curse or blindness?
Blindness it must be in part
'tis emptiness we row
Round and round in futility
While aliens occupy the deck
We know not, we see not
This place is horror, I grieve

But I see
For I am the voice of conscience echoing in the mountains
I see it all
The blood of my country men running in rivulets
The chartered bones of carcasses
The men and women lynched in their own farms
The empty schools whose children
now surfer in the jungles of terror
The travelers who give providence their souls
The rich to his plenty, the poor to penury
I see the glory of my country dying

The youths hopeless
Accustomed to accept the terror thankfully
To stay indifferent
To the cruel constituted kleptomaniacs
I see the citizens blinded
Divided along party, tribe and religious inclinations
But there are those who shout in silence
True compatriots, ultimate citizens
Nevertheless relegated
This place is horror, I grieve

We are besieged by cruel constituted kleptomaniacs
Where vultures hover, rottenness lay
I am the voice of hope beckoning to my countrymen
Arise to this revolution
This is the time to jettison tribal and religious loyalty
Cast your stones to the foundation of a new city
The country of our dreams
Unity must equally be sought
And peace measured by equity
Harken to the voice of conscience calling

Be strong O' youths
You are the lifeblood of this country
Unveil the blindfolds and see for yourselves
Hardship knows no religion nor tribe
Arise O' Compatriots
And though we grieve; this country is ours
We must all harken to the voice of conscience calling
This horror, this grief must end

-Daniel Mentor