When You Are Who You Are  Poem by Njousi Abang

My friend the General
Lost his generalship
When he went to sleep
And when he removed
His uniform to undo the load
In his stomach at the WC
And when he finally went to rest,
He suddenly discovered
That he was only a man
Like any other man
And above all,
That clothes and power
And even the role play
Works only in public
For in private
We remain who we are
Because our wives and children
Can at least bear testimony to this fact

My friend, the President
Discovered rather too late
That his role as president
Counted only when he was
Seen as such in the robes
But when he was away
From public view he was
Simply Mr. Man:
Naked I come
Naked I will go

We remain who we are
What we want to be
Who we would like to be
When we truly accept God
And love our neighbours
As ourselves