Before The War Poem by Rotimi Jaiyesimi

It is the end of the day
I lie on my bed
and listen to the news
being beamed into my room
The pictures of tanks, missiles, bombs, naval fleets, B52 bombers
bring a sense of bewilderment

I think of Iraqi citizenry, I put myself in their place
I look at the roof above my head
What if there is a retaliatory force lurking around?

A sense of fear looms
How does the ordinary Iraqi feel?
A quiet resignation?
A city waiting for war?
How do the Iraqi children feel?

Weapons of mass destruction(womd) ?
Developed by whom?
In whose possession?
Sold by whom?

Iraq has weapons of mass destruction, so does the IRA and Israel
Sadam unleashed womd on his people
Israel unleashes a noxious gas on Palestinians
The Omagh bomb is triggered in Northern Ireland
The West harbours Israel
Peaceful negotiations continue with the IRA
The decommissioning of weapons is pursued
Double standard? What monster are we breeding?

The uncertainty of the battlefield beckons
Many will die on both sides
Youths will die
Fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters will perish
Families truncated
Destruction looms
For a senseless situation created by our politicians

The certainty will be a perceived victory
but for how long?
This will be an unjust war
Man's inhumanity to man

I feel it is not fair to sleep when some feel fear
Children crouched under tables
Homes fortified against stealth bombers, heat seeking missiles
How many will be dead tomorrow?
The air is still

Bang-bang boom-boom
Roaring sounds of jet fighters
Bombs and guns
Children scream
The walls crash in, mangled bodies intertwined with metal rods
Blood flows
Aarggh
A cloud of dust rises
Momentary silence
It's all pitch black
Dead silence
Dead
Why?
Man's inhumanity to man

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20 March 2003