He Lived Among Us - Tribute to Nelson Mandela, by Wayne Visser

HE LIVED AMONG US

By Wayne Visser

Tribute to Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)

He lived among us –

This child named Rolihlahla

This boy called Nelson

This man we knew as Mandela –

And now he is gone

He shared our days –

This son of Africa, our Madiba

This father of a nation, our Tata

This guardian of humanity, our Elder –

And now he is gone

He was one of us –

This shepherd of the people

This harbinger of hope and joy

This legend of our time and place –

And now he is gone

He was our leader

Our defender, our nation’s spear

And he showed us how to fight

He was our enemy

Our nemesis, our conscience

And he showed us how to be free

He was our light

Our sun, our inspiration

And he showed us how to forgive

Yet did we ever really know him?

This lawyer who became an outlaw

This soldier who became a peacemaker

This prisoner who became a liberator

How can we fathom his depths?

This father who lost a son and wife

This comrade who lost so many friends

This martyr who lost twenty-seven years

How can we see into his heart?

This intellectual who became an activist

This statesman who became a gardener

This icon who became the world’s beloved

We remember him

For his skilful manoeuvring

Through the political maze

And even more for his love of dancing

We remember him

For his human touch

Among the powerful and powerless

And even more for his love of children

We remember him

For his human foibles

That made him fallible like us

And even more for his love of justice

He lived among us –

And now it is for us to carry his torch onward

It is for us to follow his shining example

It is for us to fight for his unshakeable ideals –

Now that he is gone

He shared our days –

And now we must make the rest of our days count

We must work as he did to set others free

We must show that the spirit can triumph in the end –

Now that he is gone

He was one of us –

And now we are challenged to become one of him

We are inspired to be the best we can be

We are reminded that ‘I am because we are’ –

Now that he is gone

Nkosi Sikelel’iMandela!

We will honour his memory

By never losing faith in times of adversity

We will celebrate his life

By always daring to hope for a miracle

We will keep his legacy alive

By choosing to walk daily in his footsteps

On the path of love

Amandla! Awethu!

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Image credits: Painting by Alfred Hilton (c) 2013