An Island War Tragedy! Poem by Dr John Celes

Their hero is no more but then,
He is alive in every heart
And mind, for whom he fought so well,
Until he ultimately fell
To bullets sprayed from ruthless guns,
That brought the valiant man to earth.

The land is freed from ‘tigers’ now?
A mighty myth was rendered false;
The landscape lies in ruins much;
‘The people are refugees, ’ ‘Oh! ’
They died by thousands, all in vain;
Most families in tents just live.

Denied of equal rights for long,
The people hum a plaintive song
Of sufferings and unfairness,
Unleashed upon them by brethren.
Their trauma is too great to tell;
Their island life is now like hell.

They razed all buildings to the ground;
Their ravished women look like ghosts;
The mutilated ones too die,
For want of proper treatment fast.
Has God abandoned them also?
They have been victims of all crimes!

The war is over but so what?
Their fate lies hanging in peril;
Their shattered dreams of wealth and health
Have gone awaste in dogged lives;
Their families are dejected;
They wonder why they are alive!

The world stayed watching them suffer!
Their neighbors were insensitive;
A rosy world has turned blood-red!
Their future is in smithereens!
Where is the God who had made them?
Should wars cause wounds that cannot heal?

What tragedy had struck their isle!
Their land was like a paradise;
But things have gone all awry now;
They have no water, food to take;
Like cattle driven to their pens,
Their victors treat them worse than beasts!

Could not the genocide been stopped?
Is there not ways to avoid wars?
Innocent men, women, children,
Fall prey to perpetrators’ guns!
The world is silent while more die
Of diseases and lack of care!

The people need a soothing touch!
Let nations rush to help these souls;
They had not slept for days on end;
Their ears are deaf by blasts of bombs!
If human love is supreme, then,
Let nations hurry up to help!

Copyright by Dr John Celes 20-5-09