In a land  made of coal
And air filled with black smoke
Where the rivers so poluted
That no creature could live
And people filled with hatred
Till humanity no longer exist
Until one day
A star fell from the sky
Bringing down a heavenly spark
Then
in the mud grew a rose
And a single heart shined with hope
The wind brought breaths of fresh air
And the darkened night finally reached thier down
And that was more than enough
To restore the land to what it really was
Springs and rivers
Animals and fields
Lilac and lillies
Butterflies and deers
human sharing laughter and hearts
Forgetting thier disturbed times of the past
And I stand and stair
To the beauty of that image
With a wide smile
And question deep inside
Asking
 Will my heart ever bloom
Like the land in my dreams ?

My father is the Lion of the tribe of Judah
He gave birth to me, a Lionel
And He's lavished on me His mercy
I will be (my) world's best like Lionel Messi

I gave all that I've got to Jah
Now, He causes me to rule
To Him be all the glory
All hail...my Jah rules

I remember, they used to call me Lil
Now, when they see me, they bow
The only thing they could say is wow
But no, I'm not Lil Bow Wow

I had to learn to live from inside out
In a world that is as cold as ice
Where they want to trap you in a cube
But you can't fade me like a song from Ice Cube

Set the alarm
Lock the doors
Lock the windows
Lock the shutters
Find the cricket bat – “put it by your bed”
Say goodnight to mom and dad

Although young, not naïve
I knew every night had the possibility of being my last

A routine that is now muscle memory.

Fear –
You may think
But life –
Normal for me.

Wake up
Turn off the alarm
Unlock the doors
Open the windows
Open the shutters
Put the cricket bat in the cupboard

Never being able to be left alone at home. Unwillingly dragged from store to store.

But – that’s the thing –
People don’t know the real Her,
They know the exquisite scenery, the unforgettable wildlife
They don’t know… But I do.
Because She is my home
Because being in constant fear for my life –
is normal.

Confused –
What do I tell people about Mother when they ask?
The person who raised me, taught me how to be grateful, how to ride a bike,         how to love.
Do I tell them? Will I scare them?

Although hidden beneath the tyranny – I would say –
the bloodshed
the faces of malnourished children left for dead on the side of the road the poverty struck soil the corruption      the greed the hunger the death the separation of class and race

Although a place feared –
Africa.

My Africa –
Whose sunshine you feel ignited in your soul
My Africa –
Whose smile is irresistibly contagious
My Africa –
Whose heart lies in the grassy terrain
The golden dunes of sand
The never-ending mountain tops
My Africa –
Who is the heart of various people
           cultures
   languages
          All who call Her home.
She is –
Where my heart lies even if I am thousands of miles away
Where my mind wanders from day to day.

Her air, instantly calls you
Her smell, instantly smelt
Welcoming you ever so dearly –
      Home.

Like all good mothers,
She is the one who can handle both the tranquil and turmoil,
the love and war.

She is my home. She is who I fear of disappointing.

My Africa –
is beautiful.

i still say hello
to the tulips in
my kitchen,

speak to the
two sunflowers
in my garden

who grew
despite
my absence

I've run out
of what little
patience I had

yell at people on
the road and tell
people to get out of
the way at the store

convinced I am
probably meant to
be alone by the way

I still say hello
to the tulips in
my kitchen,

softly touch the
two sunflowers
in my garden
and smile by
their gentle adversity
and the way they don't
respond at all.

If I sit in a corner, they all think I'm sad
Fine, whatever
If I'd rather stay in my room, they all think I'm moody
I'm growing sick of this
If I don't feel like talking, they say "Oh, she's a teen"
Can you please stop?
Maybe I actually don't like it when you make assumptions about me
So as much as I love you,
Leave me be
Can't I just sit around and... normal?

I can't handle
falling in love
because without you
I am only falling
crashing
breaking
burning
and my demons tell me
I am not good enough
not pretty enough
not skinny enough
and they don't stop
until you're with me
and tell them
to go away
so baby
please
stay.

-The Poetic Fairy