By Kwesi Atta Sakyi

Mandela, our firebrand freedom fighter and towering father figure is gone,
His audacious and stentorian voice to be heard no more viva voce,
At his passing, an eclipse of heavenly bodies,
A luminous comet ignites a sombre sullen sky,
And wings its way across galaxies and constellations to the utmost recesses of the universe,
His passage, there is no reverse or regression,
Mandela is dead, yet Mandela lives on long after he is gone,
His death cascades an emergency UN summit of who is who,
Four AF1s in tow, abreast trio of imperial emissaries,
Mandela magic enthrals the world, even at his passing,

Oh what a man of uncommon ambience
And unique humility,
The African drums sound, summoning all,
The lions roar above the thundering sounds of the Mosi O Tunya,
A deafening din vibrates across the dambos and miombos of Africa,
Announcing to the world the passage of a great personage of no mean mien

Mandela the man, stood for all the oppressed in the world
Yet Mandela the man stood and sacrificed his entire life
So that many others may enjoy larger freedoms
While he languished in jail on Island Robben(Robbery)
Viva Mandela, aluta continua, Amandla,
Amazulu, Amazimntoti,Nkotho wa Sizwe, Nkosi wa Nkosi,
Viva Mandela, May His Soul Rest in Eternal Peace

Mandela, Madiba, Tata, the wise man standing tall
As the African reed, a symbol of purity and righteousness,
At one stage, an elusive and phantom fugitive in furious flight,
He played rope-a-dope with his apartheid opponents,
Mandela traversed far and wide, taking freedom’s fight to the global stage,
He sneaked out unobtrusively from the apartheid cage,
All this let him get himself beside himself into an irresistible rage,
He delivered a knockout to a comatose apartheid
Mandela was indeed driven from pillar to post,
Fleeing from his deadly pursuers,
Mandela went into exile for military training, strategy and support,
Yet as he matured, he called off the bluff
Of armed conflict and needless bloodbath
He pursued the superior royal highway of non-violence
Mandela did not revenge nor avenge his persecutors
When ultimately he regained his freedom
He reached out to all and preached reconciliation, forgiveness and unity
Single-handedly he detoxified the tense atmosphere by his riveting speeches
He recommended brainpower over reckless bloodshed
He won the hearts of people far and near
He imparted humility and impacted humanity,
Madiba taught despotic African sitting presidents how to relinquish power
He set example how to retire in dignity and peace
He handed the reins of power after his duty was done,
Mark of civility in humility
Today, Madiba is gone
Yet tomorrow, Madiba lives on in our hearts and memories
Adieu, Madiba
Dammirifa due
Ghanafuo ma mo y3ako
Kos3, kos3, kos3

By Kwesi Atta Sakyi ©2013

Contact: kwesiattasakyi449@gmail.com