Tears of a Mother

Look at me, gorgeously rich
The Gold around my waist
The diamonds on my ankle
Beautifully dressed in my Kente
With a stunning staff from healthy timber
I was the envy of my brothers and sisters
A shining black star
Until the merchants from the west arrived
Their greedy eyes had not seen splendour like me ever
They devoured me
Taking away with them my wealth
My children, they chained and packed into boxes
We had to fight
And yes we did fight!
Blood was the price
We gained control
But my children forgot my pain too soon
Beseeching green papers
They still salute the merchants of the west
They see no good in their mother-land
Queuing just to fly in metals to the west
Fighting each other for supremacy
But we are one people
My shine is waning
By my children’s activities
My clothe has been perforated hence I need cover
 So I cry to my children
To swathe a mothers nudity
To preserve her dignity