Continuing the journey through the West and the Horn, we honor the resilient coast of Sierra Leone, the pioneer spirit of Liberia, and the rugged mountains of Eritrea.
33. The Mountain of Lions (Sierra Leone)
A Shakespearean sonnet on the Freetown harbor and the rebirth of a nation.
The Cotton Tree stands tall in Freetown’s heat,
A giant witness to the broken chain,
Where liberated souls found steady feet,
And washed away the sorrow of the rain.
From Lungi’s sands to diamonds in the mud,
The "Mountain of the Lions" roars once more,
No longer stained by tears or bitter blood,
But blooming on the bright Atlantic shore.
The Krio rhythms pulse through every street,
As cassava and ginger scent the air,
A victory that makes the soul complete,
Beyond the shadows of a past despair.
Oh, Land of Iron, may your spirit rise,
As gold as morning in your children’s eyes.
34. The Pioneer’s Dream (Liberia)
A Petrarchan sonnet on the continent’s oldest republic and the Pepper Coast.
The Lone Star flies above the rolling surf,
Where dreams of freedom found a wooded home,
Across the ocean’s wide and salt-sprayed foam,
To claim a piece of ancient, sacred turf.
From Monrovia’s hills down to the muddy wharf,
Where rubber trees and iron mountains roam,
The spirit of the law and liberty's tome,
Was planted deep within the coastal serf.
Though storms of silver fire swept the land,
The Palava Hut still holds the village peace,
With justice written in the shifting sand.
May every struggle find its long release,
And every brother hold a sister’s hand,
Until the echoes of the conflict cease.
35. The Red Sea’s Guard (Eritrea)
A sonnet on the modernist architecture of Asmara and the rugged Dahlak Isles.
Upon the Highlands, mist and coffee steam,
Where Art Deco and Italian arches wait,
Asmara wakes within a quiet dream,
Beside the Red Sea’s ancient, coral gate.
From Massawa’s pearls to dusty Keren’s heights,
A nation forged in fire and in grit,
That kept its watch through long and weary nights,
With torches of the mountain fiercely lit.
The Dahlak waves sing to the desert moon,
Where nomadic tribes move slow across the plain,
To catch the echo of a highland tune,
Beyond the reach of sorrow or of pain.
A fortress of the soul, so proud and lone,
With history engraved in mountain stone.
36. The Green Heart (Burundi)
A sonnet on the hills and the world-famous Drummers of Gishora.
Between the peaks where coffee cherries blush,
The Royal Drummers strike a thunderous beat,
A rhythmic tide within the forest hush,
That lifts the spirit and the weary feet.
Upon Tanganyika’s shore the hippos play,
In waters deep as time and clear as glass,
While in the fields, the workers greet the day,
And watch the shadows of the mountains pass.
Small as a leaf upon the Great Rift’s tree,
But deep in song and rich in ancient pride,
A nation seeking where it wants to be,
With nothing but its heritage to guide.
The heart of Africa, so green and deep,
A secret that the rolling highlands keep.
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