Dawn Road to Kadoka

[Intro] Dust fades on the doorstep of our small old town I tighten my backpack, hear the road call loud Kaliai to Mangseng, a map drawn in salt and rain I whisper to the breeze: I’m growing, not fleeing the pain [Verse 1] I pocket childhood colors, the chalk on concrete lanes Kadoka lingers like a distant star through the window panes Mama counts the miles, Papa folds the night into plans Two houses, one heart divided by a thousand strands [Chorus] I’m leaving to learn what I’m made of, step by step Carrying the names of kin and rain on my breath Hope is a compass that never forgets the shore Someday I’ll return to you—stronger than before [Verse 2] In Mangseng I learn to stand when the wind wants to bend Faces shift like weathered maps, but I won’t pretend I carry their whispers in my pocket, soft and near Friends from childhood streets ripple through every fear [Chorus] I’m leaving to learn what I’m made of, step by step Carrying the names of kin and rain on my breath Hope is a compass that never forgets the shore Someday I’ll return to you—stronger than before [Bridge] If homes are floating lanterns, I’m learning to light the flame If distance is a river, I’m learning to walk the name Courage is a quiet drum beating under my skin Belonging isn’t one place—it’s where I begin [Verse 3] I dream of Kadoka in the hush of a sleeping night I see my childhood friends like fireflies in the pale moonlight I’ll carry their laughter across the years we’ve aged apart Migration is memory stitched into a hopeful heart [Chorus] I’m leaving to learn what I’m made of, step by step Carrying the names of kin and rain on my breath Hope is a compass that never forgets the shore Someday I’ll return to you—stronger than before [Outro] Until then I walk forward with a map of all the dawns I’ve seen One day the road will bring me home, where I belong again