I am not the first
Nor the last
Who will make
A maiden journey
Into a land of lands
People and people
Beauty serene
Grandeur captured
In search of being
A part of a sojourner
Of transformations
Ever in its way
Aerial views and
An airport entry
With familiar looking
Faces, gestures and postures
Hairstyles to names
Preceded this transit
Via Ethiopia
A name of biblical
History and even
Geological connections
With the southern tip
Of one’s Indian origins
Expectations none
Hope ever much
It’s all in good and safe
Hands to ensure
The fruitfulness
Of this visit
Not to take
But to give
Give first of all
Only what I have
Who I’ve become
In all these years
Of waiting, wanting
To encounter
First hand and make
My own the story
Story of Africa
Carved into 52 nations
From North to south
East to west
Centre spread far across
Unending landscapes
Of Planet Earth