Pigeon Letters Poem by Chester Maynes

One Summer afternoon
In this battlefield
Where soldiers toiled
And shot their enemies
Where wars begun
These armies in longing
Of families, of lovers
Of normalcy and life
Of parties and debaucheries
Of dinners and dances
Of racing horses and carpentries
These wars have robbed
Stolen their status quos
It is not a mind game
It is a life and death’s derby
Not a love for the opposed
Not a brotherhood for the nemesis
No Christmas songs played
No proper funerals and wakes
Vicious not gentle

One Summer evening
In this savage trench
Under smoked, pierced skies
Where peace abhors
The sleepy eyes cannot slumber
A wait of many pigeon letters
From families, from lovers
They didn’t know what to know
They didn’t hear what to hear
There are unexpected expectations
When the goods are departed
The evils arrive
There were warnings and signs
But babies were born
And smiles were shown
But here in this undomesticated terrain
Where foods were spoiled
And thirst condemned
All were written in mortal hands
On these pigeon letters


(written on June 19,2011 Singapore)