#Mandela An Ode To Nelson Mandela
They called him a freedom fighter, but that’s not how I remember him
I never once looked at him as someone who wanted to do such a thing
The only thing I saw was a man standing tall in the midst of strife
Relentless in his belief that bowing to injustice isn’t life
All I heard was a voice filled with the dreams of others
As he saw the world with eyes, made to believe in his brothers
This is what I saw, not a man fighting for something as vague as freedom
Instead looking at the world as it is, and then deciding what needs to be done
Understanding that history guides the passions of humanity
Enough of a leader to see that those roads would have left the world empty
All I saw was a man who decided to act in the face of adversity
A man who saw racist laws as nothing more than words of insanity
Fighting where others simply bowed in fear
Rushing towards conflict, while other tried to remain clear
Not a hero, not a freedom fighter but a man standing for something
A man believing in something greater than himself
His belief didn’t falter, of course it received cracks along the years
But it never broke, regardless of the pain, regardless of the tears
And that is what I saw
That is what made me believe, that sometimes fighting the standard is necessary
When a so called democracy is telling you that you are nothing but secondary
Everyone focusses on the man, but no one looks at who he was fighting
No one dares to glance at the people who were creating the situation in which he was residing
But we praise a man standing up
As we should, for many bow down and remain stuck
Never believing they can stand tall, unless someone shows them how to
This is what a man like Nelson Mandela was born to do
Inspire those unable to recognize their own worth
Motivate those who lost their way in a world divided by lies
Bring together those, who through the sands of time lost their ties
Be a beacon of light, shining through the darkness created by those we can’t mention
Be one to admire, be one to emulate, the one to dim the tension
This is who he was, this is who we remember
But I never looked at him as a freedom fighter
Vino
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I wanted to make sure I paid my proper respect to the man and the legend. And what better way could I do that than writing a piece for him. After reading about him, and of course watching the documentaries I felt like I got a better understanding of the man and what he stood for. And I wanted to make sure I translated that into this piece, which I affectionately called #Mandela An Ode To Nelson Mandela.
And if you like this piece make sure to have a look at my story book.
