Imagine Africa
by Darlene Murphy
I imagine Africa, a far off distant land
I imagine Africa, heat too hot to stand
I imagine Africa a land of lack and poverty
Looking closer now, I know it’s these images they wanted me to see
If I marvel at its richness, from the bush to the desert sands
If I embrace its culture will I want to reject my American land?
The Kente and the Kuba cloth they weave a tapestry
In colors bright and deep and dark, they mirror her majesty
But how can she give birth to the Maasai and Mandela
And not be courageous and strong
It's time I dispel the myths I’ve heard and held onto, for oh so very long
If I imagine Africa, I will come to understand
The complexity and power imbibed in this great Motherland
If I imagine Africa, I must believe she’s from where all life came to be
If I imagine Africa, I must imagine me.
Darlene Calloway Murphy is a second grade teacher at Jay Cooke Elementary School. Darlene joined the Philadelphia Writing Project in 2013 as a teacher consultant.