And Still I Cried

They told me that it was going to be alright, My daughter what a pride, Smiling, happy to have joined, The symphony of military life. Back then it was alright, Till they brought her in a coffin, A body gored without eyes, A badge of honor, Compensation, And the Kenyan flag. I fodled her shaven head, Hugged her legless body, Then I realised I was 60, And still I cried. "She's gone to Paradise, to be with God and the Angels in the sky, To sing in white and fly like a kite." None of that could stop the pain of death, From roaming, Staring into my eyes telling me that I was weak, As the priest poured the dust Atop her coffin, "Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust,we all return," The heat, the pain, pins and needles, The sweat, the blood, the coffin going down, I was beaten at last. I covered my eyes, the tears coming in torrents, Sobbing because she had gone so fast, lips shaking, teeth rattling, mucus dripping, The world turned blurry and all went black, I opened my eyes my friends by my side, I realised, That all this while I'd been acting tough, And still I cry.