Africa(Nitarudi/I will return)

A poem inspired by the 2012 trip to Tanzania, East Africa

Fear her I was taught

to go there? I ought not

because of all the 'wars'

famine, jungles

and no cars

there can’t possibly be

happy people there

why I saw it on tv

sadness all around with lost stares

the flies buzzing

around a starving child’s eyes

and evil dictators

the citizen’s despise

but when I went

boy was I surprised

'regular' folks like us 'Mericans

who live normal lives

shopping malls, grocery stores

stocked full of food and much, much more

different looking people

from darkest dark to lightest of light

very diverse place and ‘lest I forget

the stars at night

I saw each and every one

from the Big Dipper to Orion

Yes, there is the poverty

but as in everything

there is always the other

side to a story

Like riding cross country on a chartered bus

12 hour ride I was amazed, so I could not fuss

Crossed the Indian Ocean on a ferry boat

my first time ever being on any kind of coast

I was in the ‘Mamaland’

Really, it’s NO big deal(sarcasm)

In fact when I was there it was all but surreal

Copyright © 2014 By Angela Malele