I was born in Africa and its seasons shaped my soul.
I knew my place beneath the sun, the warm earth made me whole,
Those arching skies and brilliant stars fixed my position there,
That brooding space my boundary, the far horizons clear.
I belonged to Africa and knew no other home
I had no wish to leave her and no desire to roam.
The heat, the storms, the droughts were all familiar scenes to me,
The hills, the plains, the valleys and the green acacia tree.
It’s tempting to resist my fate, to look back and complain
At the stealing of my birthright and who or what to blame,
For the loss of those I loved and knew, and the places I have known.
My memories will always take me back to friends that now have flown
Regrets and blame are the past and I must walk the track
That takes me on this journey, where there is no turning back,
I must embrace the changes that old England holds for me
And see the old with eyes anew where I was meant to be.
There is beauty here in England and it’s steeped in history,
It’s land of both my parents and my ancient ancestry.
So I must look beyond the dross and open up new doors,
And blend my life that’s yet to come with what has gone before.
I do not have to be there to hear the Masai song,
It lives forever in my mind where memories belong.
When I sail through the sunset, the truth will set me free
Take me out of Africa – but leave Africa in me.
(Unknown author)
This poem speaks to the heart of many of us who were born and raised in Africa and had to leave as adults, for any period of time. It was forwarded to Old Africa from a post on the facebook group old kenya friends reunited. Can anyone tell us who wrote the poem?
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