By the ocean, a haunting melody.
Echoes of anguish, pain, and misery.
A tale of sorrow of ships sailed with stolen souls,
To fill the coffers of greedy goals.
It’s a history of slavery we cannot ignore
Where Africans lives were sold and more.
On Africa’s shores they were torn.
From homes and loved ones they were shorn.
Captured, shackled and forced to sail
With their futures lost to a brutal tale.
Tears of sorrow in a sea of despair
As they journeyed to a land not fair.
In crowded holds they lay for weeks.
Bound in darkness and beaten with no relief.
Across the waves they were transported
To a distant land where they were exploited.
Many died before reaching their fate
Some thrown overboard to the ocean’s faith.
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By the ocean their tears were shed
Their stories etched in history not to be unread.
The ocean witnessed their agony
As they faced each day with bravery.
Families torn apart never to be whole.
The scars of slavery ever taking its toll.
By the ocean we remember their pain
The horrors of slavery we cannot explain
May we learn from the past and strive for change
And vow to ensure no one experience such bondage.
Let create a world where every human is free to thrive
And the shackles of slavery are no longer alive.
Alie Lahai
Alie Lahai is a Sierra Leonean. A Bachelors graduate in the field of Agriculture, a climate change, sustainable agriculture and biodiversity conservation activist, and also a poet. He represented his university in a series of poetry competitions bagging the runners-up award in the last one contested. Alie has also been involved in both national and international poetry competitions.