The Panda Poems

By O. Panda

This is the original collection of my feelings about everything that I have

lived to experience.

My name is Osman Panda, a Sierra leonean by birth. I was born

on September 24th 1952, in Wilberforce Freetown and married

with 5 children.

Attending the Wilberforce Primary school saw me going to the Prince

of Wales secondary school in 1965. Dropping out of school in the 3rd

form which is the equivalent of the 10th grade in 1968,I had another

opportunity to go back to school working for a judge. In 1969, not able

to satisfy his wifes draconian rules, I had to step down again until 1976

when a philanthropist came to my aid Mr. Sahr Martin Ngombu Gbolie

of blessed memory founder and proprietor of Kono Model Academy, may

his soul rest in peace. He offered me board and lodging and free tuition for

two years, thereby helping me to graduate from high school in 1978.After

graduating he offered me a teaching job. As a sports teacher and assistant

teacher in government and religious knowledge, I served the school for

two years and eventually went to the Milton Margais Teachers college in

1980. I majored in Physical Education graduating as the student of the

year with a Higher Teachers Certifi cate in 1983. I taught for two more

years in my former school, K M A. Through the grace of the almighty God

I received a letter from the principal of the Bo Teachers College inviting

me to join the Physical Education Department in 1985.That journey

lasted until 1991 when I received another letter from the principal of the

only boarding school in The Gambia at that time ,the Armitage High

School. The most exciting and fruitful moments of my work experience

was realized in that country. Through the efforts of my dear wife Comfort

I eventually had the privilege to come to the US, where the idea of the

PANDA POEMS WAS BORN.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 13, 2013
• ISBN: 9781483606514

O. Panda

My name is Osman Panda, a Sierra leonean by birth. I was born on September 24th 1952, in Wilberforce Freetown and married with 5 children. Attending the Wilberforce Primary school saw me going to the Prince of Wales secondary school in 1965. Dropping out of school in the 3rd form which is the equivalent of the 10th grade in 1968,I had another opportunity to go back to school working for a judge .In 1969,not able to satisfy his wife's draconian rules, I had to step down again until 1976 when a philanthropist came to my aid Mr. Sahr Martin Ngombu Gbolie of blessed memory founder and proprietor of Kono Model Academy, may his soul rest in peace. He offered me board and lodging and free tuition for two years, thereby helping me to graduate from high school in 1978.After graduating he offered me a teaching job. As a sports teacher and assistant teacher in government and religious knowledge, I served the school for two years and eventually went to the Milton Margai's Teachers college in 1980. I majored in Physical Education graduating as the student of the year with a Higher Teachers Certificate in 1983 I taught for two more years in my former school, K M A. Through the grace of the almighty God I received a letter from the principal of the Bo Teachers College inviting me to join the Physical Education Department in 1985.That journey lasted until 1991 when I received another letter from the principal of the only boarding school in The Gambia at that time ,the Armitage High School. The most exciting and fruitful moments of my work experience was realized in that country. Through the efforts of my dear wife Comfort I eventually had the privilege to come to the US, where the idea of the PANDA POEMS WAS BORN

Book preview

Copyright © 2013 by O. PANDA.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013904335

ISBN: Hardcover 978-1-4836-0650-7

Softcover 978-1-4836-0649-1

Ebook 978-1-4836-0651-4

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Rev. date: 03/06/2013

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

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CONTENTS

Drums Of Africa

The African Glory

The African Maiden

Africa . . . Too Many Questions

The Partition Of The Tribes

The Dying Tribe L

The Dying Tribe 2

The Return Of The Warriors

The Elders

Enemies Of Progress

The Village Weaver

The Town Cryer

The Village Drunkard

Mother Sierra Leone

Tears For Sierra Leone

Salone . . . To Be Or Not To Be

The Creation Of Sobels

Salone . . . We Are What We Are

Salone . . . The Blame Game

Salone . . . Land That We Love By

Sierra Chrismas

Oosai (Scramble) Dem Tie Cow

(Salone) Elections

The Black & The White God

Nature Is Angry

Rumours

Hard Times

Hidden Beauty

Ricochet

Patriotic Bankruptcy

A Soccer Ball

The Baobab Tree

The Bus

The Soul Of A Lion

When Shall We Be Really Free

The Man Who Never Was . . .

On The Highway . . .

In Heaven

Love Crimes

Judgment Day

Going Home

Self Control

Loneliness

We Are All Gods Children

Sorrow

A Friend

Crisis

Violence

Trouble

Cry For The Earth

The Sea

Nature

Natural Musicians

Music

Books

The Pen

On Top Of The World

The Man Who Never Was

Mother And Child

Love

My Wife

The Woman In Women

DEDICATED TO COMFORT AND THE CHILDREN

DRUMS OF AFRICA

BY OSMAN PANDA

Drums of Africa

Unique and genuine

Pure and honest

Diligent and longsuffering

All knowing

All purposeful

Portraying reality

Most are beautiful

Hard and brittle

Yes! To stand firm

The test of man

Wait a minute

And time too

Which the African drum

Has indomitably withstood

Cultures and cultures and cultures

Everywhere in Africa

The drum will fare

Every moment

The drum will share

And everyone

The drum will snare

None escaping

Oh drums of Africa

Your sound shave bounced

Throughout the bounds

All through the ages

Depicting all the stages

Yet no justice

From all the faces

Faces that stare at you

Hands that bash you

Minds that gamble your sounds

Can it be boom

Or can it be boom boom

Can it be bim

Or can it be bim bim

Can it be bam

Or can it be bam bam

Or can it be bim bam boom

All neatly woven

Making you a token

And a symbol of our continent

That none can equal

Drums of Africa

I salute you

Drums of Africa

I honour you

Drums of Africa

Forgive our manipulations

Drums