Paradise Lost
I left the island of Zanzibar, its spices, history & glory
To emigrate to Canada, land of opportunity
Forsook the tropical sun for cold frigid weather
Left behind the warm ocean breeze for the icy roads and
chilly wind
Abandoned pristine white beaches for brown pebbly shores
Turned away from a turquoise ocean for polluted lakes
Gave up mangoes, papaya, shokishoki, guava and duriani
For apples, pears, grapes, peaches and cherries
Gave up white snapper and king fish for cod and sole
Gave up drinking coconut water straight from the coconut
And settled for bottled water instead
Left behind the street coffee seller for the office coffee
Abandoned pristine white beaches for brown pebbly shores
Turned away from a turquoise ocean for polluted lakes
Gave up mangoes, papaya, shokishoki, guava and duriani
For apples, pears, grapes, peaches and cherries
Gave up white snapper and king fish for cod and sole
Gave up drinking coconut water straight from the coconut
And settled for bottled water instead
Left behind the street coffee seller for the office coffee
machine
Left behind the exotic fragrance of spices
For the pungent smell of sulphuric emissions
Deprived of hearing the call to prayer
For the sound of police and fire sirens
Deprived of seeing women clad in mysterious black buibui
Can't help but blink when I see women dressed in jeans and miniskirts
Deserted a slow relaxed pace of life for the fast lane
Gave up afternoon naps and walk along the shore for gym
Left behind the exotic fragrance of spices
For the pungent smell of sulphuric emissions
Deprived of hearing the call to prayer
For the sound of police and fire sirens
Deprived of seeing women clad in mysterious black buibui
Can't help but blink when I see women dressed in jeans and miniskirts
Deserted a slow relaxed pace of life for the fast lane
Gave up afternoon naps and walk along the shore for gym
workouts
Gave up riding a bicycle along narrow winding streets of
Gave up riding a bicycle along narrow winding streets of
stone town
For driving a car on the highways past ugly billboards
Discontinued a study of life of marine corals
For a course in stress management
With only a memory of mud and thatched dwellings
I am faced with the reality of concrete and steel
Left behind a lively community for a cage in a human zoo
It makes me wonder... if I left my soul behind in beloved
For driving a car on the highways past ugly billboards
Discontinued a study of life of marine corals
For a course in stress management
With only a memory of mud and thatched dwellings
I am faced with the reality of concrete and steel
Left behind a lively community for a cage in a human zoo
It makes me wonder... if I left my soul behind in beloved
Zanzibar?
Poem by Professor Yusuf Kassam(who lived in Dar es salaam and migrated to Ontario, Canada.
Yusuf Kassam is Senior Associate specializing in basic education, governance, civil society and program evaluation. He was born in Zanzibar, Tanzania, and is a former director of the Institute for Adult Education in Tanzania. Fluent in Swahili, Mr. Kassam served for more than two decades as an evaluation consultant for Jackson and Associates to AusAID, BRAC, Global Affairs Canada and other governmental and non-profit agencies in Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe, working frequently in Bangladesh and Tanzania, in particular. Mr. Kassam is also an author and a poet.)
Poem by Professor Yusuf Kassam(who lived in Dar es salaam and migrated to Ontario, Canada.
Yusuf Kassam is Senior Associate specializing in basic education, governance, civil society and program evaluation. He was born in Zanzibar, Tanzania, and is a former director of the Institute for Adult Education in Tanzania. Fluent in Swahili, Mr. Kassam served for more than two decades as an evaluation consultant for Jackson and Associates to AusAID, BRAC, Global Affairs Canada and other governmental and non-profit agencies in Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe, working frequently in Bangladesh and Tanzania, in particular. Mr. Kassam is also an author and a poet.)
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