War Reminiscence Poem by Kingsley Egbukole

The navigating bird in peace
Evoke memories of atrocious past
That skip the heart a beat
At obscene havoc of metal birds

The distress wail of abandoned children
Pierce my fitful reverie
The inconsolable weeping of bereaved wives and mothers
Who will live with permanent scars

The sight of the hunter's Dane gun even stilly
Recalls reverberated ta-ta-ta-ta
Harsh spitting of bazooka
And other peers of reckless devastation

The directionless scurrying
Brings prey cul-de-sac with vicious predators
Innocent, harmless and defenseless to death

The sight of vultures perched harmlessly
Conjure up littered bodies
The headless, limbless and disemboweled

The long-suffering bird
Waited betwixt the dead and the living dead
Undecided which is more honourable a banquet

(Sunday 19th October,1999,5,15pm)