Emmanuel


by Laysa W. - Date: 2007-04-20 - Word Count: 250 Share This!

Emmanuel was born in the Badme Plain, 15 years into the 30-year Eritrean War of Independence against Ethiopia. Like many children born into war, he suffered horrors that are hard for me to imagine including the death of his father and many members of his family. He is also a friend of mine. This poem addresses my struggle to accept war and suffering.

Emmanuel
He grew up in a country
Bordered by the Red Sea
A child who saw many things
A child should never see.


Bombs played his lullaby
Shrapnel was his first toy
Starvation was his bottle
Silence his greatest joy


Emmanuel
It means "God with us"


The tanks controlled the sidewalk
The schools, they all shut down
Then one day, the soldiers came
And shot all the men in town


The soldiers raped his mother
And his younger sister too.
While he hid in the closet
What more could he do?


Emmanuel.
It means "God with us"


The nightmares are so vivid
With screams of terror and despair
And memories of the smell
Of rotting bodies in the air


Sweet revenge fills his mind
And tears flow down his face
A lifetime of suffering
That no one can erase


Emmanuel.
It means "God with us"


The ELF or Ethiopian Army
There are no winners in war
Only those who suffer
And those who suffer more.


Lord, were you with us then?
Did you see the violence?
If so, why did you step aside
And watch in complete silence?


Related Tags: war, death, god, iraq, army, suffer, suffering, soldier, eritrea, ethiopia, front lines

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