Ubuntu whispers through the wind,
Ngubuntu ngabantu they say.
Who bears my burdens, I ponder,
A child of a village, my shoulders laden.
Failure, an unaffordable luxury,
Success, a costly endeavor.
They fought for my place, yet I asked not,
Born frees, shackled by familial expectations.
Education, a double-edged sword,
Leading me astray in its knowledge.
In my family, I hold a role unclear,
Elderhood for sale, not earned.
Respect now echoes, not for me,
But for the degree in my hand.
No longer an individual, but a kin’s keeper,
Will I taste freedom, or merely carry it?
A chance to break free, leave others behind,
Yet, the worthiness of such freedom is questioned.
As those who follow gaze upon me,
A beacon of hope, or an illustration of strife?
Nothing’s for mahhala, debts to family paid,
Born frees, architects of futures weighed.
A freedom we possess, yet fail to grasp,
A legacy not fought for, but inherited.