A seedling am I
From good soil
I am watered
I dance and sing in soil moistened
Sunlight fed
I grow tall and beautiful
Insects befriend me,
Taste me and tease me
Allow me to grow into a full tree!
Don’t weed me because you know me not
Sheath your sword for me
Keep your rash hand away from my juicy leaves
Let more suns shine on me
Let me be the iroko tree
Or the cotton tree
Let me grow tall, vibrant and fruitful
I might become the queen of trees
I should breathe
Let me be
Let me fulfill my destiny
Elizabeth L.A. Kamara is a lecturer and writer. She lectures Literature in English in the Department of Language Studies at Fourah Bay College, the University of Sierra Leone. She recently published her second collection of poems titled To Cross for a Daughter and Other Poems.
