Oh hail the mother of success,

In the era without you, the struggles were incomparable.

I am glad to speak and declare that;

As long as you live, a lot has been and is to be transformed

As long as you exist, you are a candle to light for many

As long as you reign, many are still crying.

Thousands get lost in thought when they can’t afford you

For at hand, we behold a baby we treasure as if he were baby Jesus.

When you came, we didn’t know whether to let you in or not,

But we gladly did for we wanted to venture into the experience.

You were a sight, new to us

Sent to redeem us from the abyss of illiteracy.

With pride, we brag about the intellectuals you have begotten

The Doctors, lawyers, Engineers, Teachers…

Bravo to you for you are the source of the heroes we have.

A penny they can now get because they took on the mantle.

Oh mother of success,

To achieve you, many sacrifices had to be made

And still, all in vain;

With many hawkers on the streets claiming they hold Masters Degrees,

They hide their papers under trolleys full of the tomatoes they sell,

Just because of our fore fathers who have refused to control their thirst,

The thirst for money they get from the jobs they cling to,

Paying no mind to the jobless generation they are creating.

It is now a generation of youths with cursing words,

In the face of failure many have turned to social media for validation,

Side hustles and gig work becoming the trend

As others die from depression and stress.

Since societal expectations have not been reached,

Increased substance abuse all in the name of numbing the pain

The pain of having a load of papers only to keep under pillows.

Mother of success, will you hear our cries?

BY NAKALYANGO JANE FRANK