Poetry

When the force of strong conviction
is overwhelming and oppressing
as if others in their own interests
want to drive you away,
from this place, from this country
which you hold high and holy
when you are only seeking an own place in the sun
and do also grant others such a place
its as if you are protected,
as if God folds His hand around you.

When a human being is for many almost a god
and they are convinced that he brings a kind of peace
with his rainbow nation
but job opportunities are denied
for every one that is white,
on his command the Church Street bomb explodes
and innocent children, women and men
pay the price for that decision
then a person realises
that even the time of Nelson Mandela is determined
by the God and judge of the universe.

[References: In his book “long walk to freedom” Nelson Mandela admits to giving the command to explode the bomb in Church Street. “The Church Street bombing was a car bomb attack on 20 May 1983 by Umkhonto we Sizwe, the military wing of the African National Congress (ANC), in Pretoria. The bomb exploded on Church Street at 4:30pm on a Friday. The bombing killed 19 people and wounded 217. The Church Street bombing attack was commanded by Aboobaker Ismail, authorized under the leadership of Oliver Tambo and Joe Slovo, with the knowledge and approval of Nelson Mandela. The Church Street bombing murdered both black and white people, and far more civilians than police or military.”]