Part I

I came because I heard a cry
I flew across a clear blue sky
Dark nights lit by wars below
No one sees Sudan's light show
The irony in what I found
Discovered in hands tied and bound
Better be ready to reap what I sew
I learned what I never knew I never wanted to know

A story lies beneath the lines
It always does when the sun shines
But secrets root in shadowed vines
Just look close to see the signs
I washed my hands just to touch
Unbathed children that didn't care so much
Screams across Kenya's poverty
The reality is something we don't want to see

I heard a cry and I tried to find her
Selling mangoes with her children behind her
Umbrella up to shade the sun
When Kenya burned she lost everyone
We try to look as long as we can
See what we want, pretend to understand
Dig in our pockets, pay the social demand
Pat on the back when we lend a helping hand
Though dire, efforts are still deemed pathetic
Since the only hands that truly help are prosthetic
The answer is something slightly less poetic...

We want the truth but it's not pretty
It's messy, it's dirty, it's grimey and gritty
We want the key, the missing link
The truth is, it's not what we think
They see me and they want cash
Blame poverty on lack of jobs, while daily smoking hash
Kids on the street follow me around
When free food is offered at the orphanage downtown
Won't go because they're addicted to glue
But sister, making money is so much easier for you
Asking why they don't compare as a learning tool
But won't give up child abuse in public school

Thinking too much here can make someone crazy
I can't help you if you choose to be lazy
Anytime you start to talk to me
It ends up in something you want from me
You don't see me, you see your mission
How can I possibly make a decision
Offended by my disbelief in Christian visionaries
But this religion you believe came from white missionaries

Timing is everything when timing is something
Does dying mean anything when you're dying for nothing?
But before I come close to losing my mind
I remember the children so blameless and kind
The children so young, innocent and wide-eyed
I remember that this is what I fought to find
You take my hand, before I'm beguiled
Mtoto mrembo, beautiful child

I came because I heard a cry
I flew across a clear blue sky
I found the answer to my yearning
Fought hard to find what we should be learning
Africa hear me, I've come home
I heard a cry...but it was my own.