I look into his eyes and I see my soul
coursing through his every fiber
I see that he is I and I am he
I cry
Freely, with the knowledge
that I have injected into him my strength,
courage and pride
Pride to be the man that I am
Pride to live the life
of the forgotten dreams of my ancestors
I am Mandinka warrior; watch me stride
You can see the heritage in my gait
It is that which raced through me
and carried me swiftly to the edge of today
Today I look into his eyes and see tomorrow
His tomorrow is filled with the aspirations
to fulfill each and every goal set
To overcome obstacles placed before him
For he has a running start
He has a warriors' heart
A heart that pumps the beat of the Tonga drum,
calling out to his bloodline
Conjuring up the wisdom to guide him along
in this arduous task of life
A life filled with peeks and valleys
Ups and downs
Good times and most certainly bad
Tempered with the will of perseverance
And the mind of a great thinker
For he is my son
Quite naturally, he will succeed

I look into his eyes and see a man
A man on the verge of greatness
Though humble enough to know how to accept defeat
He will walk by faith and live with conviction
He will have a sensitive heart
Though, unable to always decipher the emotional proclivities
of the opposite sex
Just like the rest of us
But that won't stop him from trying to make her smile
No, he will traverse a field of hot coals,
climb the highest peak in search of the rarest flower,
and fight numerous hell bent men, bare knuckled
To make her smile
He will be his fathers' son
I see it in his eyes
That I am he and he is me
I see my legacy