Mandela

Madiba
there are songs
that inspire
clenched teeth

and a stampede
of stamping feet
and the chorus of lead

and what peace can guns keep
in the regions of carnage?

When you entered the silence
of the dungeon
at Pretoria

and your footsteps
counted
in limited steps

did you hear the echo
of my ancestral songs
against the brick wall
and beyond?

Madiba
the songs
from my homeland
still come
with clenched teeth