Without fail
Fighting tooth and nail
And repelling invaders
With gluttonous, predatory
Farfetched ambitions diverse,
Forbearers
Proving heroes and heroines
Of the land portrayed capable
Blatant aggressions,
Trigger-happy encroachments
To annihilate, to reverse
They laid the foundation for
The unhampered hoisting high,
The unflagging hovering high
Of our flag that magnify
National unity, sovereignty
In ways description that defy.
If this generation internalizes
Our flag is a symbol
Of struggle, independence,
Sovereignty and sacrifice
It is on the ball.
The flag is
A emblem of martyrdom
“Keep the legacy” is
What it drives home.
As a broad daylight
It must be stark
The flag is Ethiopia’s
Independence, persistence
Love and unity hallmark.
Also perseverance
Resilience, love of nation
It does advance.
By the same token, it urges
Multipronged development
To proceed afoot
And conviction to the same effect
To put down root.
By and by
To kiss poverty goodbye
Resource utilization efficient
It advises us to take as a must.
The flag conjures up in
Our mind
The feelings for one another
To be considerate
And kind;
What is more, the stamina
To jump over a pitfall
In a bid looked-forward
Mega projects, parks, export trade..
Aggressively roll.
Above all, on respecting
Public interest
And the rule of law
Much we must invest.
To see Ethiopia better
Let’s parry gambits
That put us asunder.
The aura of invincibility
The trend-setter beauty
That emanates from our unity
Must keep on to be our identity;
That is what the flag
Speaks out loud
Of a nation though developing
That is proud.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 18 OCTOBER 2023
BY ALEM HAILU G/KRISTOS
