Steel Citizen Poem by Gert Strydom

Steel Citizen disappeared on the other side
of the border
and some people thought,
that he was shot to pieces
on the other side of the chop line,

but Steel Citizen was an unconquerable man
and strong like his name
and one day
he just took the road home.

He walked hundreds of kilometres
through the field
and lived from the bush
and didn’t set any landmines off
and one day a hardened man
with a LMG in his hands
and a knife in one of his boots
and a savage beard
walked past me
and his eyes were dead
without any life
and he didn’t want to talk
or wanted anything from me
and just walked on
with bigger steps into the distance.

It was clear that it was Steel Citizen
and that he was fed up with war and death
and more bomb happy than most
and I hope,
that he found his rest somewhere
and are not still
walking along.


[Reference: Chop line= Cleared border line. LMG= Light machine gun. Bomb happy= Post traumatic stress disorder.]