Tribute To An Icon

In the night of death
Our nightingale took her last breath
Hope saw a star shinning
Listening love heard the rustle of a wing
A golden heart stopped beating
... and hardworking hands went to rest

In the dark morning
Birds went silent
Rivers welled with tears
The swing of our trees turned to a dirge dance
As the wind whispered our loss
Mother nature mourned the loss too

What moved through us is a silence
A quiet sadness in this silence
A longing for one more day
One more word
One more deed

We did not understand
Why you left this world so soon
Why you left
Left before we were ready to say goodbye

Little by little we begun to remember
Not just that you died
But that you lived
And your life gave us memories
Too beautiful to forget

Our heroine Maathai
The flower has withered
But the seed remains
Like a bird singing in the rain
Your memories will survive

and soon the seeds shall blossom once again
they shall grow once more but never shall they be like the mother tree
round her bosom shall they flourish
...close to her forever be

for we know that our mum will always look down at us n smile for she shall be proud of our continued work.....

This poem was written by David J Mwakodi.....as a tribute to our icon...Professor Wangari Maathai