A Poem

Nesta: Prophet of Nine Miles

By Stephen Fish

As WWII came to an end, a prophet was born
To a modest beginning in Nine Miles
Like many of his kind, success did not come easy
But perseverance did come naturally.
It was 1971, and you could hear “Slow Hand”
Playing ‘I Shot the Sheriff’, instant fame.
After that came record after record and
Then the sacred cover of Rolling Stones
Smile Jamaica, or not, Bob has been shot
But Jah protects and he finishes the show.
The bullets tried but could not stop him;
It was nature’s turn, a turn for the worse
Started in his toe, then upward to the liver
But did not stop their, it wanted the brain.
The show must go on, and it did
As he played now, inspired by life.
He would not stop for the illness,
But for Rita he would cease.
36, so many prophets die young
but the message lives on:
We don’t need no trouble
What we need is love!