It’s all in the Mind!

Like drowsy hunters, we gaze at the dark clouds,

We rummage our minds for a silver lining;

It’s the ninth day of the month,

And a couple of months to the year’s end!

To many a Ugandan, 2013 is just another year…

51 years back, our grandfathers saw it all;

The Union Jack coming down;

A tri-colored pennant taking its place,

Black, Yellow, Red became our official colors!

All euphoric, it was;

With it, brought a wave of optimism…

Nine heads of state on the trot,

And we are still soul-searching;

Or are we just being pessimistic?

We’ve seen them come and go, --the turbulent times;

Independence has since got a new meaning…

The peace. The freedom. The prosperity

The gifts bestowed upon us by God,

The gifts we now take for granted!

Today, we ought to celebrate,

To cherish the freedom we have…

The freedom to revel in our culture;

The freedom to communicate,

The freedom to trade in communication!

Now is the time to ponder,

To think beyond our selfish interests,

To break the tribal confines;

To make peace with our foes,

To share our blessings with those around us!

To the street preacher,

Independence means winning the next soul,

To a teacher, improved pay…

A fresh graduate hopes for a decent job,

While the employed seek self-employment

Many a citizen pray for good leadership,

It’s all in the mind; A happy independence!