(In celebration of Nelson Mandela’s 93rd birthday)
His solitary confinement,
Setting free the mind,
Shelters the dream awaiting birth
In future conflicts
Where pain vies with guilt-laden fear
In blood sodden dust
Swirling with the cries for freedom
Denied a people.
In the prison of oppression,
Spirit gathers strength
Shattering the bonds of self-doubt
Lesser men impose
Upon dreamers seeking justice
While biding their time
Within the flow of history.
Lifted by events,
Chosen ones rise with their vision
To lead a people
Thirsting for justice and freedom
Into the unknown,
Living together as equals
Whose mutual trust
Grows in the sharing of the dream
Rising from the tomb
Victim and oppressor shared
Until justice won
In the course of time events weave
Until forgotten
Save for warriors becoming wise,
Preserving the dream
As another generation
Prepares for battle.
Dreaming is acting when the time comes;
The fruit of patience
Is the moment of engagement
With the darkness
That would engulf humanity
But for you and I
Living and doing for others.
