my gran’s colourful pebbles
rhyme with colourful peoples
contained in the African continent
glittering in their diverse colours
without any prejudice or favours
bold like a rainbow so prominent
decorating our continent like a variety of flowers
growing in our diverse cultures and our powers
standing in unison like buffaloes
sniffing, the smell of the coming foes
who come to sow divisions among us
and squeeze out Afro-peace like a pus
squirted from maggots infested wound
caused by ugly bite of the Apartheid hound
poising speared canines at a meek Freedom
forcing her to bow to his draconian kingdom
where we gnashed our teeth and wept
cos under a carpet our peace was swept,
though our tears glittered like rubies
our cries fell on deaf ears like rabies
but to this day
we still cuddled together
like an old woman’s magical pebbles
whose glitter and beauty
got cursed and hidden by the White sun
that refused to wake up from
his comfortable warm bed
where his only dream was
to catch and gruesomely crush
the Black people’s freedom
Tebeila Phahunye Amos is a published poetry author.