I love my Africa, still…

Africa, my Africa! I love my continent still!

Plagued by insurgency in the East, uprising in the North, terror in the West, rebellion in the south,

I love my Africa, still!

Africa, the land of my birth, but a continent I have grown weary of in my "wisdom years",

Was no haven in my tots, but to that I was oblivion,

For those years still remain memories to cherish,

I hiked to school without worry,

Wandered in my innocence without caution,

And hopped about playfully with the innocence known only by a child,

If I had to be anywhere by road, I longed for such thrill

To see places I could not frequent, looking through the windows delightfully

Those days,having a loved one afar meant no disaffection

You would long for such reunion

And in my case as it were

It was so much more fun than a child could have wished for

A three-day ride from Zaria in Kaduna

To the famous Iddo market in Lagos

Was a thrill compared to nothing

And all these have remained but a memory

A reminder of "the good old days"

All I do now is live with hope,

So held by a tiny thread

As I watch my homeland, and its African siblings torn apart by man's selfish, undying desires

Everything has gone so wrong in turns

Where is the Africa I once knew?

For its tranquil has eluded me

But I sigh in hope

Because I love my Africa still!

"Let there be peace in our hearts, peace in our homes, peace in our nation and the world…