Broken Brothers

There should be more, older brother said, as

He left one day, and I stayed that day.

But brother, we remember differently

As you called me single minded, as you called me feeble minded

North you went, where scornfully you greeted the winter cold

And the Neanderthals who were beast and bold

But brother, we remember differently

As I could not leave my laughter, my culture and follow a dream behind

My people, my Ubuntu… would all be gone, so how could I, allow such in kind?

The desert was not kind as it made us gasp and blind

The sun burnt our crops and made my young to weep.

But brother, we remember differently

You discovered fire; you did not fall… even when they were beast and brute

Understood the cold and tamed the mighty mammoths

You flourished and made a home so far away from home.

But brother, we remember differently

The blazing sun soon called me friend

The daunting desert soon embraced my kind

I prospered here and there, I was happy… here and there

But brother, we remember differently

You conquered the seas and took to the air

You made machines and nice cuisines

Discovered mathematics and named the stars.

But brother we still remember differently

I did little in your eyes, and little still in these eyes you gave me now

I was happy and I needed less perhaps this, is why I tell.

My hopes and dreams are engraved in my skin,

I went too close to the sun up high, and came back a lil too dark.

It is the fairytale in me, the novel… the romantic

But we remember differently

Older brother came back in the fall, with a mighty ship and deadly machines

This made my blood to rush, and my opinions to hush.

You had changed and so had I, You spoke white and I spoke me

So I could not tell you, Mother is dead

Nor remind you my blood is yours

You found a new God, so you looked down on mine

You told me my God is erroneous, my belief was worse

Courtesy of Darwin you found varied eyes, hair and even skin to match…

That hampered us not to see that you are my own, and you once left me as sketch.

But brother, why do we remember so differently?

I welcomed you with open hands,

Welcomed you like a brother of mine and shared with you all that was fine.

But brother, you have the weakness same as me… you forget same as me, so

You called me primitive as you took my land

You called me stupid as you shook my hand

You instilled your beliefs, and abolished my beliefs

You took me west and made me slave,

You told them I was not saved, and that I lived in a cave

You changed my system, you made you king and saw me ant

But brother, why do we remember so differently?

I know your story differs from mine

I know all will be well in time.

Brother of mine, know I forgive you, for all you had done, and

I do not blame you for all you had done.

But now that I have reminded you, that brother, my blood is yours

What will you do… what will you do?