Bondage

I am bound on the road to the future,
I must march while others rest;
No feelings of sadness or longing
Must stand in the way of my quest.

I am chained to the wheels of tomorrow,
Alone I must keep up the pace;
Whether tired or lonely or hurting,
I am fated to finish the race.

No hardship can alter my purpose,
No calamity turn me aside,
But the journey would be lighter
If some caring angel smiled.

For the spirit needs renewing
If the body must last the term;
An empty soul is itself a load,
And a hopeless heart is a stone.

I'll Have Time

When the fortune is made and the castle complete,
When the children are grown and the women serene,
When the badlands are tamed and the crops put in place,
When the roads have been laid and the big problems solved,
I'll have time.

I'll have time for the sunsets, the moonlight and night sky,
Time for the trees as they wave in the breeze.
I'll have time for the roses that fragrance my garden,
Time for the birds and industrious bees.

The thrilling blue skies and the colours of dawning,
Will be mine to enjoy because I'll have time.
The shimmering blue haze on the far distant mountains,
Will be balm for my soul because I'll have time.

For the fountain that plays in the midst of the flowers,
For the dewdrops that glitter on leaves and on grass,
For the apples and plums, pears citrus and guava,
For the newly born chickens kids kittens and calves,
I'll have time..

I'll have time for my neighbor to listen to woes,
Of her bouts with the flu and the pain in her toes;
I'll have time for old friends and their invitations,
To join them in feasting and song celebrations.

I'll have time for discussion and hearty contention,
To solve the worlds problems and banish my own;
I'll have time for a nap or a leisurely lunch,
For a stroll in the woods or a frothy fruit punch.

Most of all for the children I'll have plenty of time
To open their eyes to the wonders of nature,
To set their young feet on the path of achievement,
To show them the gateways to caverns of wisdom;
To nurture and nourish their fragile maturing,
For this I'll have time, yes, plenty of time.

My Land and Me

I look at the hills of my country and a thrill invades my soul,
For I know that this my homeland, is the most beautiful land of all.
I look at her dreaming valleys, and I know how Eden feels;
I know she is mine, and I know I am hers, it will always be so for me.

I have no yearning for foreign shores whence they say my forbears came;
I identify only with this land where I came to know my name.
My forbears came from all over, they melted together here;
And they spawned a hybrid creature, not seen on this earth before.

And this new land they gave me, once the home of the Arawak,
I embraced it and it embraced me, my home this Jamaica Rock.
I travel to far off countries, my heart here will always be,
My loyalty never in doubt, for this place that has nurtured me.

Some talk of Africa fig trees, and claim their kinship there;
Some sigh for distant Gupta, some yearn for China’s air;
Neither Britain, nor Europe nor Asia, awakens a longing in me;
I know I belong to Jamaica and Jamaica belongs to me.

Our country is far from perfect, but most of that’s our fault;
We seek the short term vantage, to the future we give no thought.
But the man who robs the future, will find when he gets there,
That the harvest is poor, while his basic needs, have not been catered for.

I waste no time thinking of slavery, I’m aware that I was born free;
Many presently progressive peoples, once endured slavery.
To know the past is wisdom, to remain in it is unwise;
Little good will come of grieving, about who did what to whom.

I feel no need to worry about my ancestral tree.
Some ten generations of Hybrids, have culminated in me.
This rock has soaked into my bones, and my bones are soaked in it;
I honour those lands that aid me ,but I yearn to go back home.

My Heritage one of diversity, has achieved its apex in me;
Few humans are blessed as I am, with discernment the truth to see;
I am greater by far than the sum of my parts, a quantum leap beyond.
A breed as good as there ever will be, or ever has lived on land.

And this country my mother and father, as rare as a ruby star,
Is beautiful, wondrous and blessed, as few other countries are.
And if we develop the vision, to realize its potential bold,
We will leave to our children’s children, a wonder of the world.

My World

I must climb up to the mountains high,
To look at my world with a clearer eye:
To feel my spirits rise and soar
At the thrilling sights of that gleaming world.

There in the distance far, I see
A shimmering land that beckons me;
The colours are soft and peaceful and calm,
And the air seems dreamy and heavy with balm.

No noise nor disturbance seems resident there;
All things seem in harmony, all vistas are fair;
The winds blow softly caressing and cool;
The rain falls gently refreshing the soil.

The sunlight is golden and the temperature tame;
No one is imperfect, no creature is lame;
This world is the way that I know it would be,
If 'twas I who had made it to satisfy me.

Stand Firm

There are times in my life when the problems loom large
When the blizzard of pressures seem never to cease
When the strength of the frame and the firmness of mind
Are extended past mortal endurance.

But the soul that lies deep in the center of me
Refuses to yield and rejects that I fail
It calls with insistence for me to fight on
With the tools and the strength it claims still lies within.

I have no recourse but to follow its lead
For it seems to exhibit a life of its own
Unconquerable ,unstoppable,determined and brave
Forcing success and victory from the edge of the grave.

I cant help but wonder when the struggle is done
And the hotly contested strife has been won
If there is not a less stressful way to live life
And still share in the plenty and joy of this earth.

For it seems that the problems come with the choices
Of both the goals and the paths that we choose to achieve
Unbridled ambition and careless approaches
Create grim situations that threaten our lives.

But there is also the argument, cogent and plausible
That surmounting great obstacles increases our strength
And we'll never appreciate how potent we are
Till we're faced with the challenge of reaching a star.

The River of Time

Silent and stealthy it glides on its way,
This awesome dimension ---‘ The River of Time’
Shaping the history of worlds day by day,
Unfurling the future relentlessly.

Mankind cannot slow or reorder time’s flight,
Only ponder and measure its hold on his life;
And his actions today will impact future scenes
That unfold on his way through existence.

To embrace the truth, today’s deeds shape the future,
Regardless of whether we care or we don’t,
Imposes on each one the need to decide,
Whether positive or negative, stands he on which side?

We are faced without doubt, regardless of age,
That this is our first, last, and final voyage;
No chance to return , to repeat or correct,
Whatever we do must be done on this trip.

Each person has one chance to influence his age
For good or for bad as he will decide;
That chance determines forever and aye,
What worth is assigned to his mark on Time’s page.

The Believer

I thank my Lord for blessing me with everything;
With life, with health, with all existence brings.
Without His help my worth would be as naught;
And of this world I know I would own ought.

Standing with Him, I have the strength of ten;
Sheltered by Him, I fear not evil men.
I trust in Him and so dread not my fate,
I know I'm safe from trouble small or great.

Within my house I dwell without concern;
I know His wings doth shelter it from harm.
No enemies I fear as long as He's my friend;
This I believe from now until the end.

Let them that doubt pursue their chosen path;
Man has a choice, and I have found a staff
Whereon I lean, secure in the belief,
My trust in Him forever brings relief.