THE MOTHER I NEVER MET

 
THIS IS A STORY I HOPE YOU'LL NEVER FORGET
ABOUT A MOTHER I HAVE THAT I'VE NEVER MET
I'VE ONLY BEEN ABLE TO SEE HER IN PICTURES
BUT ONE DAY I'LL MEET HER IN SPITE OF THE DISTANCE
I WAS TAKEN FROM MY MOTHER NOT LONG AFTER BIRTH
BY SOME STRANGERS WHO SEEMED TO CARE NOTHING FOR HER
THEY TOOK ME AND SOME OF MY SISTERS AND BROTHERS
AND WE WERE GIVEN TO PEOPLE WHO REALLY DIDN'T LOVE US
THEY DECLARED THAT MY MOTHER WAS MENTALLY UNFIT
AND IT SEEMS LIKE THE WHOLE WORLD WENT ALONG WITH IT
THEY CALLED HER UNCIVILIZED, AND CALLED HER A HEATHEN
THEY ROBBED HER, AND BEAT HER, AND RAPED HER EVEN
MEANWHILE, I WAS TAKEN ON A WESTERLY COURSE
AWAY FROM HER NOURISHING WISDOM AND THOUGHTS
INTO A HOUSE OF STRANGERS WITH A STRANGE RELIGION
THEY EVEN CHANGED THE NAME MY MOTHER HAD GIVEN
AND THEY TALKED ABOUT MY MOTHER SO EVIL
'TILL I SAW THEM AS DEVILS INSTEAD OF PEOPLE
I RAN AWAY FROM THAT HOUSE ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS
AND PUT MY LIFE IN IMMINENT DANGER
I HOPPED ON A BOAT AT 12 YEARS OLD
AND FOLLOWED THE SUN AS I HAD BEEN TOLD
JUST ME AND A FEW OF MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS
GOIN' BACK TO OUR MOTHER 'CAUSE WE KNEW THAT SHE MISSED US
BUT AS FATE WOULD HAVE IT, THE AUTHORITIES CAUGHT US
AND TOOK US RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED
IT HURT SO BAD TO HAVE GONE THROUGH ALL THAT
AND ALL OF US WONDERED, "JUST WHERE WAS GOD AT?"
ONE DAY I'LL GET TO SEE MY MOTHER
AND MEET THE REST OF MY SISTERS AND BROTHERS
BUT I GOTTA GET BACK BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE
'CAUSE I HEARD THAT MY MOTHER'S IN REAL BAD SHAPE
NOW IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T FIGURED THIS POEM OUT YET
MOTHER AFRICA IS THE MOTHER THAT I'VE NEVER MET