We the World

Today I awoke grateful for life
My sleep was filled with gloom and strife
The sight I wish I’d never seen
Of shattered hopes and futile dreams
They came upon a deadly crash
And what remains, black plumes of ash
Someone believed that blood and brawn
Would ease away tears of his own
and now I finally get to see
Another day it could be me

We hear the peals from our church steeple
An empty gaze on the face of our people
The lives of some were torn apart
a felled street lamp where I once sat
Can I please leave without a fight
a gun maybe could be my plight
Some have been snatched by drunken drivers,
the holocaust, some at pearl habour
Physicians try to make us stay
But soon enough we’ll be gone anyway

Come rain, come planes this life is fleeting
Each day what wonder that I’m still breathing
We saw the ‘ships of death’ from Africa
acts of cold blood by the slave master
today the children of servants and kings
Once again face the same old things
We must agree to fight as one
and use our differences to form a bond
to make this ball a better place
ending all sorrow and disgrace

And then tomorrow, if I ‘m awake
After this time of ruin and distaste
I’ll touch my face I’ll see the sun
And all my sorrows may be gone
I’ll listen out to hear a voice
To offer comfort peace and joy
I’ll take a walk and feel the breeze
I’ll be in awe, of all of these
I’ll laugh I’ll cry I’ll sing I’ll fret
I’ll still feel blessed, in the mist of death

Some time will pass and even though
I’ll feel the pain remember the woe
The human heart that strived thus far
Will fight the thoughts and cover the scar
“This too shall pass” so I have sworn
I’ll tell myself is alright to go on
And once again I’ll dust my heels
Roll up my sleeves, grind on the wheels
I must be here for some great cause
So there is no time to stand and pause


We’ll build a monument for them
Promise their vengeance till the end
And in my journey up the road
With friends to help me bear the load
I’ll dream of nations joining hands
United spirits a pride of the land
And everyday I’ll hear me say
We’ll make it right. We’ll save the day
maybe then we’ll have the key
The reason why we have to be

After a while. A few score years
The lot of all still brings me tears
I have achieved some world acclaim
But this does not address the pain
We’re still oppressed by this bloodshed
what else could I have done instead
Reflecting on vows from years before
I wonder what we have in store
I do not notice the breeze or the flowers
As remember the famed twin towers

On this day when truth rings strong
I figure out my path was wrong
I’ll realize that after all
my rise in ranks was not the call
I could have made a lasting mark
By humble deeds straight from the heart
And in the end when my bones are weak
It breaks my heart to sit and think
That I have failed in guiding others
To prevent a war amongst my daughters

The years will come and the moons will shift
New worlds will arise great minds adrift
sons of my sons will fill this space
There will be talks of great world peace
But out of the fullness of their hearts
We know, they will strike with all their might
And just like you, myself and our forefathers
Who felt our time was not like the others
They’ll laugh they’ll cry they’ll wail they’ll die
And on and on but who knows why

And I would hope that after one night
The is no day, no bright white light
The heavens will fold up and put to rest
The trees, the birds, the restless hearts
And if I get to behold Him
Who put us here to feed our whim
I’d walk right up and make my case
And I’d hope to god that at that place
The revelation will make some sense
Of the great art of providence

Chiamaka Valerie Bob-Duru (now Chikwendu)
09/13/2001