My Death
Tonight my soul is preparing for death
I will write my own eulogy and read it for you
I was born in a village hospital with no beds
The day I was born there was light
And that affected my skin so I am really dark
When I was growing up, I played with car tyres
We wore torn pants and danced in the rain
Chasing and catching dragonflies for fun
We went to school on barefoot, trekking long hours
I can feel the pains from cutting school grass
As blisters cover my palms, with bleeding skins
From scratching the itchy spots of insects bite
All of these struggles at the age of eight
There is always hunger so I hawked roasted fish
Because my school fees needed to be paid
Don’t ever believe that education is free
In high school we were told to be brave and outspoken
But when I got into university, I was failed for speaking up
And the next time I tried to do it I was suspended from class
Freedom of speech is never truly free for the poor
When I was done with school, my government
Sent me to serve my country under the sun and in the rain
Obeying the clarion call of duty to my country
I served with my heart, rendering myself selfless
They promised me a job, after service but now
Am jobless and it’s hard to feed, no parents
And there is no friend in this jungle of a country
My stomach is singing and my body is dancing
Twisting and turning in this bed out of hunger
I have longed finished my service to my country
But now am dying of hunger, a wasted knowledge
Learning my whole life to be hungry and restless
I have a skill but who will push me up
For you must know someone who knows power
To succeed in this country of mine,
So since I don’t have that connection
And no one will listen to my cry, tonight..
I will drink this rat poison and die
But know this, am not dying because am weak
Am not dying because I didn’t try my best
I tried my best, I did all I was taught in school
To do for me to succeed in life, but my leaders
Are the ones killing me tonight, they stole my future
And even more they stole my life even before I was born
Am dying so I can live to fight this corruption
That has eaten my future to pieces,
And when you hear of my death, don’t cry
I want you to fight and rebel the powers that be
Let them know there are many more like me
Dying of starvation, others are dead but breathing
Come together and let your voices be heard when am long gone, if they don’t hear your voices
The world will hear your voices so make it loud
I know help will come, we all need to make that happen
