The Voyage of Destiny

Goans have always had a penchant for travel far and beyond the borders of our homeland in search of work. Some traveled to the eastern shores of British and Portuguese Africa in the days of colonial past.

Those were the days.

The Voyage of Destiny

The timber deck beneath my feet rumbled
And leaving a surf trail in its wake
Its way out it gently nudged 
From the quiet and serene Marmagoa harbour.

The legendary “Kampala” so white and sleek
Gleamed in the hot afternoon sun;
From the grand pier’s edge
My folks waved tearful adieu;
More then a  thousand score
From the aft deck I waved too
Till my arm was sore
And could see them no more.

Fifteen days and nights seemed like a year
We pitched and rolled on the ocean waves
Into the vast expanse of the Arabian Sea;
A plain horizon eventually yielded to landfall finally
And amid apprehensions aplenty
I set foot on the golden shores
Of the East African country.

Familiar faces
Friends of my family
At the docks I recall they came to greet me
‘Jambo’ they said, ‘Habari’, ‘Ashante’, ‘Karibuni’,
The very first words I heard in Swahili.

Hard work and good times;
parrot and sparrow,
To hills, lakes
and the snow-capped peaks 
of the Kilimanjaro

I still reminisce and adore.
picnics and safaris galore
Wildlife from lion and zebra,
Under a canopy of skies so azure;

While history 
took its course with uncertainty,
To embark on yet another voyage
 Must have been life’s destiny;
I rejoice today as I look back and see
How we still dwell in great harmony;
I thank God for this great country
That welcomed me and my family,
While for a better future I pray
For one and all in this century.