The Blood of Martyrs

The Blood of Martyrs “He stood aloof the ***** youth What of his future?” Peter Abrahams When the guns thunder In Cameroon or Côte-d’Ivoire In Mali or Burkina Faso Limitless martyrs Disappear! Beads of blood still pearling Running from the martyrs’ hot bodies I vainly ask to know: Why are the ill-stricken dictators so greedy And their peoples so eloquently silent? Gabon- Togo-Cameroon- Tunisia- Egypt- Zimbabwe-Burkina Faso What is going on? What of our time? What of man? Nothing but words. Words of those who see with Somebody’s eye Or Those who have gained Nothing of their heritage If not Samory’s puzzle. Meanwhile The spring keeps growing Swallowing creeds to bear greeds In spite of Ebola and the wars In spite of Aids killing thousands of people In spite of the minority who with the help Of the majority eat from the fruit Of the majority’s vote In spite of growing desert…. N’Gaoundéré, 16th February 2010