I will show you

Poem by Refilwe J Mokgatlenyane

She said, “Give me a flower,
And I’ll show you how to take care of it, so it doesn’t lose its color

Give me a rose
And I’ll show you how to avoid its thorns from pricking you even if you hold it close

Give me a pad
And I’ll write you the story of how I grew up with everyone thinking am mad

Give me the world
And I’ll show you how to make it a better place
I’ll show you how a boy and girl should be raised to be brother and sister and not selfish competitors in a race

But you gave me a pen
And I wrote you this poem, with the hope that from it there’s a lesson you’ll learn