Yonder beyond the blue river

Yonder, beyond the deep blue river

Past the inaccessible mountain chains
Through the snow covered plains,
There lies a place endowed with riches
People are busy moving around
Exchanging items of trade, be it valuables or trinkets
In this safe haven but fiercely protected ground.
I wish I had a pair of long hands
I could stretch and reach the gold mine.
Instead I am kept stuck
in a vast desolate place
my limbs are of no use
to help me traverse its vast tracks.
What is more: its traitorous paths
are littered with invisible deep holes
into which many unsuspecting loved ones
Frequently fall.
Deep in side trapped
Crammed and in pain
I hear lugubrious faint cry
imploring me for help,
as I stand and watch.
With bated breath
but to no avail.
Having no miracle to offer
Utterance is all I do
Words for comfort.
That I know words which fail,
miserably short
to overcome their predicaments.
I wish I had a pair of long hands
I could stretch and reach
and Wrench them out
to end their plights.
Yonder, beyond the traffic lights
Past the notorious Harlem streets
Deep in the valley of the marble city
There lies in a place endowed with riches
People are busy trading items - be it
diamonds or trinkets,
I wish I had a pair of long hands
I could stretch and reach the gold mine.
I know dreams are far fetched
Right at this moment people
Are dropping like flies
And from the danger I, myself
Am not far off and safe.
Nonetheless, I have not resigned
I will continue to uphold the signs
that display virtues against sins.
Copyright Haileselassie Girmay
6/1/99