A March In The Ranks, Hard Prest Poem by john tiong chunghoo

A March In The Ranks, Hard Prest



all fought for a reason
the liberators fought, hid
the freedom fighters, fought, hid
ambushed once in a while lopping off heads
that rolled over the sand, grisly blood
oozing down our eyes turning
our hearts cold as ice our hair
raised themselves like armies of
soldiers ready for action

the conflicts rage on in the deserts,
in the towns, in the cities a thousand
miles away which unsettle the souls likewise
a nightmare that has been stealing the light
of our days and our nights from days

the fall of the twin towers in New York
has crushed our cherished dreams
like a bed of wilted roses wrinkled
petals splayed, sprinting listlessly
across the continents from america to afghanistan
london, arabian peninsula,
bali, south thailand, south philippines
south asia, everywhere
where freedom fighers cry to keep their sacred flame
torched with blood, to salvage the rightful place for
God, tearing down buildings, setting off bombs
shattering bullets into their enemies
when is our turn? when is your turn? his turn?

there too the liberators fight
their feet and heart loose
over the desert sand blandishing
a plathora of first world weapons
with the angst of an unwinnable war

the shootings go on so inexorably
we pray for God himself to
pull a lid over the furnace of hell
so that his grace flows over this
fine great world of ours again

and today the most unlikely thing
happened - two shoes shot over
a ducking president carrying a
message we all wish to hear...
stop the war, stop the war
pick up your shoes, get out and get lost

they turn a young handsome reporter
who wrote his own headline story
a hero across the continents

what a way to send off an
outgoing president who
initiated the war which has morphed
into a frightful mother of wars

to the sky the liberators
sweats trickling down
their eyes and body echo
the same resounding line
their great poet whitman
wrote a hundred years ago
a march in the ranks, hard prest

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Uriah Hamilton 16 May 2005

an interesting remake, encountering new sadness.

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john tiong chunghoo

john tiong chunghoo

Sibu, Sarawak, Borneo East Malaysia
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