Long and dusty roads, leading somewhere going nowhere,

Trees of every hue, sprouting, twisting, withering.

Puzzled eyes staring, strangers, strangers.

Goats and chickens abundant, pecking munching, dying.

Hostile roadblocks, accusations, guns and spite.

Fruit plentiful, juicy, yellow and ripe.

African skies witness and eternity.

Ant-like numbers, market day beckons, some have, many do not.

Machetes, hope and bibles all carried high.

Beggars beg from beggars, empty dirty hands.

Smells in profusion, unknown by the city rabbits.

Shoes, alas inner tubes, cover flattened feet.

Pot –bellied kids, snotty noses, and the flies.

African skies witness an eternity.

Reggae, drums and chanting, the incessant beat of the heart.

The caught thief is beaten: tears are paid in blood.

Rainbows of colours adorn ebony skin, the patina of life.

Stupid frilly dresses, donated by rich ignorance.

Bites, stings and fevers, the futility of medicine.

Storms break and wash away the filth, life anew.

African skies witness an eternity.

Cumbersome cargoes balanced on poised heads.

Women toil with blood, men sit and watch.

Hope remains in the few, a spear is cast.

Despair, like the jungle, strangles the life of plenty.

The snake challenges the tarmac, the roar of rubber approaching.

A future, what future? An existence!

African skies witness an eternity.