Never Go There Poem by Emmanuel Arunee Mwanza

Never go there,
So I was told,
They never said why
And I never asked why;

It was not easy,
I tried not to
but the way, the light shone at the end of the way
Slowly pulled me that way
I never remembered how
Only to find myself on the way
Exactly to the place I was told not to go

Perhaps this was a mistake
Perhaps,
Perhaps, this was worth the risk
After all no one said why
So why shouldn't I?

Slowly following the path to the 'don't go there' zone I was
It felt so awkwardly quiet, the silence
With several sounds echoing my ears,
Of course these were sounds from some horror movies I have watched
I was the only one going and the only one on this path

Fear grabbed me
But on the inside I said don't be afraid
Just carry on,
I heard steps, I turned around I looked
there was my nightmare,
A dark black being following me
It was not long I was on the run, for my dear life
And I fell,
Expecting the worst, nothing came,
No where was the dark beast...
And I now realised I was afraid of my own shadow
I still kept going

In the midst I heard voices
'don't go there...son
, don't go there...son'
both male and female voices I heard
I ignored them all
I kept pressing for where no person has gone before
I kept on the way
I know there could be my death
or my break through
what was there for me to lose?

With no job,
With all the wars,
the cries,
With no one to care and parents, all gone during the war
what was there if not not for me to try
So i ignored all the 'never go there voices'
Like a soldier I marched on,
armed with only my own fear,
fear of losing out without trying

I still pressed on,
What has a man like me to lose anyway
I prayed my sight never betrayed me
and for my ears to be as sharp as that of a hare
For I had to see and had to hear
It was a struggle trying all the things no one never tried before
walking the paths no one walked before
Until, this other day

I came to the end of it all
I came to the time on the path
where the light that shone was my break through
And I realised they said never go there
because they were afraid to try
They were just comfortable where they were
They were really free people
I wasn't, so they didn't know
That trying was the way to success
And indeed the journey I took got me beautiful treasures

Never go there they said
but I did
And it was fruitful, I survived
I went through all the life's troubles
In the end I triumphed
to their surprise
I conquered fear to their wonder
I became a man, to be recognised too
only with a heart

So if you be told never go there ask why
don't be like me who never did
If they don't then just give it a shot
Life, is so vast and not everything we have discovered
And many ways to get to success
I am talking of better and right ways

Ignore the voices pulling you down
Some are just movies you watched
Some are stories you were told
Stories about others but not you
Stories of the failures before not your success now
Never go theres are everywhere, just find the strength and go there anyway
For what's there to lose if you have nothing?
But everything is to be lost if you don't try