Down in History

You may take all the time you want

Find yourself a rattan and pull it to the front.

Set yourself up and hear me spin my metaphors.

Know, beyond doubt’s shadow that the least of these

Are true acts of courage that will go down in history.

Give me your hand, let me walk you thro corridors

Of wrenching pain refined by the fires of valor.

Listen closely as I whisper oracles of a future

Untouched by fear, of a people toppling boundaries.

And acknowledge that these must go down in history.

A nation of millions seeks new beginnings,

Marching in time to a democratic Valhalla.

Unity binds us up and defines our entities

And we, like unfolding promises take a stand.

Bet you see distinctly, why this is going down in history.

For half a century, this family chose to hang on.

Plowing the turbulence and staying on course,

We found a voice of our own in an unsettling world.

It takes a hero’s heart to take risks and succeed,

And now, you know why these events must go down in history!

Akpan