Nelson Mandela

Ode to Madiba

For a man, determined, courageous and brave

We serenade his final breath

A breath that ended the reign of a king,

Who refused to acquiesce.

Many would mourn for this loss

Even those that knew not of his tale,

The tale of a man who stood for his rights,

And spent three decades in jail.

The story begins with a man,

Who had seen injustice and wrong,

People being treated unfairly,

And abused for much too long.

He had a dream and reached for it,

And never let his hope out of sight,

And when his people encountered dark times,

This frail man turned on the light.

His vision of a peaceful land,

Landed him in a prison cell,

Locked away on Robben Island,

Along with the torture and hell

Soon, this man could go,

Mandela was free to leave,

Allowed to be rid of the awful moments,

From thirty years on his knees.

At that moment, he changed the world,

And all would celebrate him.

For the people of chains had at last been freed

From a time that had once seemed grim.

And now this hero has departed our realm

To a place where he may look down,

At his accomplishments that made him a hero,

For which he is world renowned

So sing with me my friends, my friends

For a man who will always be remembered for his success

A breath that ended the reign of a king,

Who refused to acquiesce.