Clapping Hands To A Heroine Poem by Alem Hailu Gabre Kristos

{Before the curtain is raised the introducer briefs the audience about how an extremist group attacked the Ethiopian Nation Defense Force (ENDF) from the back and how a private woman solider forced a colonel, passing information to a traitor group, to surrender. Then she disarms and forces him to walk all the way to Eretria. He tries to sweet talk her to defect like him in vain.}
( Followed by a woman solider who held him at a gun point enters a colonel, hands up.)
{It is easy to read anxiety from his face, while anger from hers. Both have put on Ethiopia's uniform. A cellphone he had been using for passing on information to defectors is seenin his hand.}

"My dear sister
There is no one perfect
Like me and my likes
You better defect.

Our desire is for
Own ethnic groups end
Arsenals from
The national army
To loot."

"Ha Ha
Key arsenals to loot
No way
A national feeling
In my heart
Has put down a root
I grew up imbibing
Many a Herds' man flute
‘ In defending Ma Ethiopia
My blood
Could flow like
A flood! ! '

Traitor, know you must,
Grease my soul
I shall not
With a treasonous soot
When it comes to
Nations sovereignty
To cherished life
Give not I a hoot."

"Dear sister
You better spare your life
Don't you see elsewhere
Opportunities for you
Are rife?
Say a chef
With a better payment
With nimble hands
Onions and chickens
You could chop
With a knife."

"Who put a ban
A solider, a woman
Should not carry
A gun?
They must carry one
To throw
Traitors like you into
History's trash can."

{The curtain is put down and the introducer appears and says
"He tried
To flee in vain
Suffering psychological pain
Or traitors' bane"}
(Music of Ethiopian sentiment will be on Air for a minute. When the curtain is raised the colonel leads the colonel at a gunpoint.)

"You better
Take off the boot
From your right foot
Do the same to the left one
And barefooted trek
Till appears on the horizon
A sparkly sun,
Hurry up man
Otherwise on you
The rocky road
Turns a frying pan.

But before that
Put down
Your gun.

Hurry up
Lead the road
If you dare
Try a trick
You will be
A dead man quick,
Also you must be
Sick to think
A woman solider
Is weak.
In a dead heat
Her stamina could
Reach its peack
Especially if
She is Ethiopian,
Granddaughter of Taitu,
She could dexterously
Handle a gun!

Traitor ex-boss
You know something
Before one's nation
Should come nothing.

Given the rank of a colonel
How come you abnegate
Your country
There is nothing so funny.

In defending
Nation's sovereignty
We should not fail
When it comes
Fighting back
Tooth and nail."

" Traitor how could you
On the back
The unsuspecting
National army attack?
How come
An ounce of decency
You lack?

Attacking nation
Defending army
You opened the door
For historic enemies
Who adore
To make a dabble
To invade Ethiopia
If found feeble.

Measure for measure,
Political thugs
The harm you have been
Inflicting on fellow soldiers
And innocent civilians
Now you will suffer."

" Dear sister
Narrow nationalism
On par with
Fascism and Nazism
Have clouded
My mind
Crazy me,
You must not mind
Please my subordinate
For today
Let me run away
In the future
I will try
To mend my way! "

"Traitor know you must
Your retribution
God has set
In motion.

Behind bars
Is your right place
There you will rote
With resentment
Stamped face.

Move hands up hurry
About you
I do not have to worry."

(Soldiers from the other side come and take the colonel captive and exchange salute with the woman solider. Then the curtain is put down.)
{The introducer appears and says Journalists have begun to give the heroine wide media coverage
High ranking women government officials, those who came to the forth following nation-adopted reform, congratulate the valorous girlwith clapping hands.}

"On TV many
Watched your story agape
Many a woman promised
To come on your footstep
Putting on a military cape! "

" Yes as she said
I'm proud of our women
Soldiers' prowess
Out our sovereignty-
Threatening challenges
To address."

"Beloved sisters
Thank you
There is no source
Of pride
Than defending one's
Sovereignty override."
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