Wide Open Poem by Rue Palmer

The Vision of a 21st Century Pan-African Awakening

In the hush before the breaking dawn,
A drumbeat stirs from dusk to morn—
Not just an echo of the past,
But a future rising bold and vast.

From Lagos lanes to Kingston's light,
From Soweto's soul to Harlem's fight,
A whisper grows into a cry:
"We are the seed, we will not die."

No longer scattered, torn, or chained,
We walk through fire, unashamed.
Our story stitched in every thread—
Not just the blood, but how we bled.

Children of kingdoms, poets, kings,
Inventors, dreamers, freedom's wings—
Now tech and thought are in our hands,
We build anew across all lands.

The melanin in sun still glows,
The ancient Nile still boldly flows,
But minds unshackled see more far
Than pyramids or morning star.

Our flags may differ, tongues may shift,
But spirit knows the sacred gift:
Ubuntu breathes in every face,
And justice walks with fierce grace.

We are not asking to belong,
We are the beat, the soul, the song.
Africa—mother, future, flame—
The world must reckon with our name.

So rise, O people, wide and wise,
With clear, uncolonized eyes.
This is the age, the time, the plan:
Pan-African, united—we stand.