All of my life I have heard stories about you
I heard about your trials and pains
I heard about how you have been hurting
I heard about the disease and suffering
I heard about the corruption in your midst
I heard about how you have been taken advantage of
I heard about the battles raging inside of you
…
I heard all of these bad things about you,
Yet my eyes see you in such a different light
The dreadful things that I have heard do not define you
I have met you face to face and I do not see these things
These terrible things are but dust on a pane of window
I recognize the specs of dust but I chose to look beyond
them
The dust fades out of focus and I gaze at who you really are
…
My jaw drops in awe at the sight I see through the window
You are stunning and wonderful
Your beauty is so vast and diverse
Joy radiates from all that you are
You are untainted by materialism and gluttony
You are pure and firmly grounded with what is truly
important in life
I love how creative you are and all of the energy you have
You have countless possibilities
It is a pleasure to finally meet you face to face
…
The only question I have for you is:
Africa, where have you been all of my life?
