Tribute To An Unknown Soldier Poem by Baru Gobira

They are mere stumps
Bayoneted
Helmets hung on each one
A flag draped on a dried sapling
Much sorrow the air carries
An avenue of sadness trees
And still leaves
An old couple sitting on the porch
Waiting for a son, upright
Each stump waiting for a Captain
The Earth waiting for a cavalcade
A nation bereaved
A hero now buried
Lost on the porch
Still waiting, an aged couple
Unwilling to see all that has an end.

Baru Gobira 2010
Revised Title. Last line title substituted