A Stitch on a Little Flag - A Poem by Frank Onuoha

 
Weeks ago,
I bought a cute little flag
From a kind little lady
Deep bright greens adorned its two sides
In the middle was white
As pure-snow as the untamed furs of a ram
But it was torn at the edge
And flew in the wind like a dried leaf
In the Sahara desert of the north

‘Return it, after all it is not your fault’
A disgusted voice cautioned
‘You can get a better one, you paid for it’
Another voice said
But yet one more voice –
Faint,
Almost drowned out in the avalanche of dissent
‘You can do something about it’
It says
‘Stitch by stitch,’ says the thoughtful voice
A thread and a needle
A teaspoon of patience
A possibility sowed
On a helm wearied by despair
Your cute little flag flies again
Strong and united
About the author: Frank Onuoha is a historian and writer.