I walked along those dusty streets
After the rains had fallen
The ground was pock marked
Where the droplets had fallen
The sky was blue
With no memory of the recent storm
The air humid from the evaporating water
That's when it hits you, the smell
Of mother earth, a musty smell
Of freshness, of the cradle of life

'From Him do we come and to Him do we return'

We say it after someones death
But it is something said in celebration of new life

I search in my mind for memories
Of the busy city from whence I came
And can recall no similar smell
The memory of that place a bad dream
Growing hazier by the day
You to them are a stranger
With outlandish, uncouth ways
They to you are a thing of wonder
Their laughter genuine, their smiles generous

'Life is a dream when we die we wake up'

It is as if I have woken up
As here is a different life altogether

Don't get me wrong
It is no easy place to dwell
A place where poverty is a way of life
Of bribes, overcrowded, politically volatile
But a place vibrant and zestful
A place of flux where the blood of the innocent
Has been spilled and mixed into a concoction
For the greedy and gluttonous to drink
Yet, a place of extremes, of extreme innocence
And also extreme corruption, of extreme wealth
And also the squalors of the shanty villages

'Travel, for it will enhance your soul'

I will take a lot away from these sandy shores
As I gaze out one final time into the blue waters of the sea

I have learnt humbleness
I have learnt happiness
I have learnt to laugh again
I have learnt to throw away my ego

Until we meet again on these sapphire and golden shores
We'll both have changed a lot since then