His Presence Poem by Margaret Alice Second

A childhood incident explains the secret that
opened every heart to Madiba: when he was
humiliated by being thrown from a donkey, he
concluded that humiliation makes one suffer in
a cruel way, so he decided to defeat opponents
without dishonouring them

This is how Mandela defeated his opponents in
politics, honouring them in such a way that they
gave in to his requests; only he held the key to
their hearts to gently guide them into the dawn
of African nationalism, only he could convince
the enemy to destroy their own power and

Become aware of the dignity of all human beings,
only Madiba could open the heart of everyone on
earth: his respect and warm interest brought our
most honourable feelings to the surface and his
presence meant acceptance and friendship, his
honour is still reflecting in the lives

Of all he touched…

[11 January 2014]