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I left my father's house
For adventurous pursuits in the world
I was bored at home, wanting to be free
The novelty of the situation enchanted me
Yet things are beginning to be more and more difficult
I am a foreigner in a strange land
People distrust me, I am refused work
I am suffering real privations
I am hungry, thirsty and cold
I have nowhere to live
I am now longing to be back in my father's house
For there I would have everything I need
There I am loved by my father, mother and family
Let alone the neighbours who know me
I am now wise, humble, ill, sorrowful
Dressed in filthy rags
I have now learned to my cost
That the world is ruled
By neither love nor pity
When I arrive at my father's doorstep
I know my father will greet me with open arms
When I arrive my father's house
I will never be bent on doing as I please
I will never leave that secret place
Where I am under his protection
I have suffered greatly
I have understood
Thus I want nothing more than
To dwell in his peace and light.
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The author writes, "Dr. Mejame Ejede
Charley who is presently in Pretoria will be leaving
South Africa in August for Europe. His odyssey in South Africa has
now surely ended. The poem I am presenting here reveals a sad
reality. I have lived in South Africa. and the reality is that men
and women only survive by using brute force against each other.
Deciding to go to South Africa was simply a built-up fantasy in my
own imagination. I have taken a long hard look at what is in store
for people there.
"After all, inferences can be drawn about the artist from the work
of art, but such inferences are never conclusive. A work of art is
therefore a thing, not a personality and mustn't be judged by
personal criteria. So what I have presented here is something
suprapersonal. What I would like to say here is that universe is
governed by laws and we must act in harmony with those laws." |
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