I think not of lions, tigers, elephants, or safaris

Neither of wild teeming forests with trees or monkeys

Images of an undeveloped, jungle covered, garden of Eden do not enter my mind

For those things are what people have thought of for a long period of time

Nor do I visualize poverty, drought, famine, or inflated bellies

For that has been discussed already

whose former existence are apparent today

I envision Muhammad’s followers reading the Qur’an

And the mosques in Abidjan

My eyes behold the Zulu warriors and their leader Shaka

They also gaze at a city that is called the Paris of Africa because of its modernization--Dakar

And of another called the Switzerland of Africa because of its splendid scenery--Rwanda

On their thrones and mighty

I notice too the walls of Great Zimbabwe

Which Europeans refused to believe were built with African hands

And thought their constructors came from far away

I hear roaring sounds of Victoria Falls, the Nile, Niger, and Zambezi

And read about Timbuktu--a great center of learning where selling books was easy

Finally, I am captivated by Kilamanjaro’s shear beauty and elevation of its peaks

And wish others shared my images of Africa, for they are unique

© Copyright 1997 by Norrisa

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