When The War Began Poem by Ologunde Joshua Abiodun

Babies and groans of breast
Feeling the impulse of fear to breast
Babies of today in my time of life;
Taste the sweetest of their mother's breast with joy;
For their mother never tasted the war

The sky have witness and see;
Of tribes and tribes; killing other tribes without mercy
They butcher fathers, mothers, children
They took babies from their mothers back to test their knifes
Tribal war they call it; Civil war, diaspora calls it

Many youths of my days forget the Nigeria Civil War
Some, never knew the agony of watching their siblings die
Yet some call for war; 'war' whose father and mother is devil
The Sun watched our forefathers and foremother die of a war they never started or wanted

Have heard father spoke of the pain of Nigeria Civil War
Mother has never forgotten the display of the guns
The dilemma of the war still looks to our nation
I could feel the palm of aged, saying No! to war

Human skull were eaten-up by vultures
The Vultures had many to eat
Children and parent were separated without traces
They wish there was no war
Why are ''we' youth' knocking the wide-gate of war?

Remember your children
Remember your wife(s)
Remember your father
Remember your mother, whose breasted-you and carried you for nine month in her womb
Remember your friends and love-ones
Remember our daughters and sons, who married from tribes we plan to war
Awake Nigeria! Awake Africa!
And Love!

If we build room for war
Our children will carry AK47 to kill
Young girls will be forced to womanhood
Awake Nigeria! Awake Africa!

Stop the drum of war Nigerians, before;
Hatred will be planted in hearts to kill
Before, mothers will be raped in-front of their own children
Children will kill their father and mother
I know you don't want these!
Awake Nigeria! Awake Africa!
And Love!

No Jews or Gentiles, Let there be love,
Defend your nation; defend love
Defend peace for Africa!
Defend justice; Defend the love that kept us still-alive
God Bless my Country Nigeria, with a stubborn-peace.

Joshua Abiodun Ologunde.