They were convinced

Our knees will bow and kiss the dirt

Our skins will beg to feel their warmth

That our lights will decease

And we will call their names

 

They were convinced

Their absence will cause our lungs to deteriorate

Our noses will follow the scent of their foods

Silent eyes, wooden hearts, faded footprints

Their ears floating in our winds

 

The moment they left us

It was as if God came to sit with us

To place crowns on our struggles

We shelled brightly out of our caecum

The rains came to cleanse our land off their sins

The sun shined, smiles renewed, we celebrated

 

The moment they left us

We saw their eyes and ears in the wind

We saw their footprints on our new soils

We sent them crops to feed their children

They felt insulted, the messengers told us

 

The moment they left us

They wandered why we never crawled back

Begging them to feed our emptiness.