Sam, You live Issa Shivji

I come not to mourn you, Comrade.
I’ll shed no tear, my friend.
I refuse to say ‘pole’, to say ‘sorry’.
Why should I?
I refuse to bury you.
How can I?
For you live.

          You live in me,
          You live in many, across the globe,
          Who loved you.
          Whose lives you touched,
          Whose hearts you cuddled,
          Whose minds you tickled.

I come to celebrate your living, Comrade.
I’ll toast to your Ideas, my friend.
Over a glass of sahara, and a plate of ‘nyama choma’.
In Rose Garden, in Sao Paulo, in New Delhi.
I’ll sing praises of Sahara, that unites the continent,
As you did.
I’ll pontificate on Sahara, that embraces civilizations,
As you preached and practised.

          I know this is not a poem, nor a flowery prose.
          Porojo it may be,
          Who cares?
          It’s for my friend and comrade,
          For my compassionate companion,
          Straight from my heart and soul.

Yes, it’s for my friend and Comrade,
For, he lives.