Africa calls to me
With the beat of her drums that mark my days
And the words of her poets that guide my ways
With the crash of the waves that hug her shores
And the sounds of the rain that soak her pores
Africa calls to me
With the tears of mothers that stain her soil
And the laughter of children that ease her toil
With the rattle of guns that pierce her calm
And the bustle of streets that sing her psalm
Africa calls to me
The sounds of Africa
Are the cries of the world’s forgotten child
Taking us back into the womb of creation
The sounds of Africa
Are the songs of the world’s untamed wild
Filling our ears with hymns of oblation
The sounds of Africa
Are the screams of the world’s disturbing fears
Begging us to embrace transformation
The sounds of Africa
Are the words of the world’s neglected seers
Pointing us to the star of salvation
Africa speaks to me
Through the babble of markets on the breeze
And the lament of hawkers so forlorn
Through the heaving of fishers on the seas
And the hooting of taxis at dusk and dawn
Africa speaks to me
Through the roar of lions basking at noon
And the snigger of hyenas in the night
Through the rumble of elephants in tune
And the stir of gorillas out of sight
Africa speaks to me
The sounds of Africa
Are the lashing of slaves that haunt her past
And the victory songs of those who are free
The sounds of Africa
Are the crumbling of ways that cannot last
And the hopes for new possibilities
The sounds of Africa
Are the whispers in a din of despair
And the tunes in a maze of lost and found
The sounds of Africa
Are the notes in the symphony we share
And the joy in a land of light and sound
Africa calls to me
With the cry of eagles that frees my soul
And the hush of sand dunes that soothes my mind
With the call of loeries that makes me whole
And the cicadas’ drone that blots out time
Africa calls to me
With the crackle of fires that light her skies
And the rustle of leaves that swish her sighs
With the chant of her songs that move my feet
And the pulse of her heart that makes mine beat
Africa calls to me
— Wayne Visser