Mandela's Dream Poem by stephen ifill

You made your mark on the shores of time,
You left footprints for others to follow,
Those who'd heed the lessons, you would leave behind,
Are those who would mould our tomorrow,
You never shirked the task, you were bold as brass,
Not a single soul could command you,
Yes you'd leave at last, a legacy to pass,
For all mankind, the tasks of tomorrow.

You knew the problems; you fought the system,
You bowed to no one before you,
Robben Island could hold you; with spite they'd curse you,
Torture they thought would break you,
But you proved them wrong; you were way to strong,
You stood as a man on a mission,
Defiance was your tool; you were nobody's fool,
Freedom was your only vision.

Presidents and paupers, princes and patriots,
They all came out in your honor,
Paid tribute to your valor, the fact you could conquer,
Yet remain such a humble fellow,
A legacy for all time, this you'd leave behind,
For all mankind to learn and to follow,
Long's gone the time for sorrow, we'd build the better tomorrow,
You'd leave for this world, we all know.

Madiba, we sing our praises to you,
You stood ever so strong and true,
We now will take our cue from you,
From you our brother,
We know what we'll have to do.

September 10 2014@