Tears of Heaven- an eulogy to Mandela
I sat in the coffee shop watching the tributes coming in from all over the world
What an outpouring of grief and of inspiration for this man...
And then I heard a white Afrikaner lady say: “agh he was just a kaffir!”
And I cried over my eggs over easy and toast with jam...
I let the tears from heart fall on the plate without shame.
Because some of us have le...arnt nothing and carry on just the same.
Then I got up from the table and paid my bill-
I got in a taxi and said...I’m going over the hill...to the FNB stadium...
And then the Zulu driver said: He was a son of a devil and he’s gone to hell
And I heard how revelation from the bible had told him well
And I got out of the taxi into another taxi to town...
And I cried again... and let the tears fall down my cheek
And a man said “ are you ok?”- and I held up my hand and said nothing...
Then the taxi broke down 5 kilometres from its destination...
Smoke everywhere... and all along... it was raining...raining ...raining...
So we got out of the car onto the freeway and suddenly a bus stopped from the ANC
And in the bus full of singing women I went... they embraced me as if I was heaven sent
And they sang their songs as the rain fell down steady –and we arrived...good and ready...
I sat in the coffee shop watching the tributes coming in from all over the world
What an outpouring of grief and of inspiration for this man...
And then I heard a white Afrikaner lady say: “agh he was just a kaffir!”
And I cried over my eggs over easy and toast with jam...
I let the tears from heart fall on the plate without shame.
Because some of us have le...arnt nothing and carry on just the same.
Then I got up from the table and paid my bill-
I got in a taxi and said...I’m going over the hill...to the FNB stadium...
And then the Zulu driver said: He was a son of a devil and he’s gone to hell
And I heard how revelation from the bible had told him well
And I got out of the taxi into another taxi to town...
And I cried again... and let the tears fall down my cheek
And a man said “ are you ok?”- and I held up my hand and said nothing...
Then the taxi broke down 5 kilometres from its destination...
Smoke everywhere... and all along... it was raining...raining ...raining...
So we got out of the car onto the freeway and suddenly a bus stopped from the ANC
And in the bus full of singing women I went... they embraced me as if I was heaven sent
And they sang their songs as the rain fell down steady –and we arrived...good and ready...
I was told how it was full with 95 000 people and there would be violence...
I was told I would not get in because I was the wrong colour –that it would be full...
But it wasn’t true...it was just my mind talking...my fear...
And then the whole stadium sang: MANDELA – IYO MY PRESIDENT! ...loud and clear!
And the stadium shook with the stamping of feet as the rain came down from the sky in a streaming sheet.
The whole day it rained without stopping and the weeping in my heart turned from pain to joy...
And I realised I had been lost...but in the UBUNTU ...I was found again...cleansed and purified...
And the tears from heaven washed away the pain in my heart ...the pain of Africa....the pain of my life. Mandela...You made us believe in humanity, you gave us hope, BROUGHT US TOGETHER!
Madiba...you were just a man like me- no saint- no messiah... but we shall always love you forever...now you are truly free!
Thank you for being with us -and helping us turn away from bloodshed and war
You led us through our suffering and showed us ... we can be much much more...
And though there is still much to be done....
We know by your great example the war is already won!
God bless Africa!
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