The phone rang and no one dared to pick it up,
All they said, they had heard and seen enough,
Was it a call meant for them or for us?
A nation out of peace, liberty and unity,
A nation formed from the dreams of our fathers,
A dream manifested by the unification of tribes and ethnicity,
Breaking down segregation and discrimination,
Black, white, yellow, red and plain,
Embraced and unified as one for the greater good,
But our father said do not be fooled,
For it is not always as it appears to be,
Unity could be pleasing to you and me,
Alas!! tyranny is just lurking around waiting for an opportunity,
Our father called to warn us but no one picks up,
Perhaps tyranny is sitting silent by the phone,
Perhaps it’s our greed and pride that’s our enemy,
Could it be that we answered a call and it was a wrong number,
Asleep or awake from our slumber,
In darkness and poverty slums, crossroads,
Need us not to say but our suffering is for all to see,
A cry from the gutter heard but ignored,
A house will be strong if it survives an earthquake,
A nation will be torn if it embraces my faults,
Leaders will fall if they embezzle my thoughts,
But this is my phone call to my nation,
One last time before I run out of airtime,
One last call to my people,
By ISSAI