"Arise O compatriots, Nigeria's call obey "
Bullets singed through the air  
Bodies danced and fell in a parody of ***
A foul stench  followed the bullets
A stench of fear? One could not tell
The stench of death amidst dying flesh
Guns blasted, screams echoed
Legs flapped,  hands flailied
And there i sat with my eyes shut, shouting my anthem, praying this cup passes me by

"To serve our father's land with love and strength and  faith"
"Hush now" my mind berated
"What father's land?" She  questioned
"It's filled with thorns, be careful least you fall" she cautioned
"GET UP" she shouted, "RUN NOW" she bellowed
"Live to tell this tale, for thy father's land has forsaken thee "

"The Labor of thy heroes past, shall never be in vain"
Death brought chaos in its wake
There I sat in deathly calm
I felt it like a whisper in my ears
"I'm here now hero"
peace enveloped me
This is how it felt, to die for a noble cause
My eyes snapped open unseeing, my lips moved unheard
Down fell the tears, the last my eyes could do
"One nation bound in freedom, peace and unity".
                                          Cderah

I remember the lights going off in the brains of young poets.
Deep in the dank streets of New York or Columbia college.

When the blues and twos would come and round up
The beatniks snapping to the howl of a homosexual mind.

When the generational attitudes of those too old to know,
Control the ****** acts of “violence”, or
The deepening scars of our philosophies.

When the urbanization of historical prowess leads to
Gentrified gypsies of the diamond deserts and endless skyways

When the great in the country isn’t good enough
For the red hats and spray tanned millionaires.

When the stocks of corporate dragons burn down
The attempts of upstart knights and online kingdoms.

When the politicians of old become the scapegoats
For the ironically gerontocratic few.

When the female few who dared couldn’t find their lost primaries
Or control the lifeblood leaking out of the Strait of Hormuz.  

When the powerful and powerless fought in-between
The dejected and all too often ignored.

When the powered halogen lights flooded prison yards of
Wrongly convicted and murderously in need of help.

When the San Francisco clubs lit up with muzzle flash
And the dancers lay weeping in their blood.

When the schools became places to duck and cover
Or learn to trip a friend when running from a gun.

When parkland high became a manufacturing ground
For casings, tears, and candlelight vigils.

When the American dream came combo packaged
And supersized with obesity and unemployment.

When the education of the youth became about
The profit margin in a spreadsheet full of debt.

When the sun sets in the smoke filled horizons
And sleepless rest settles on the western front.

I stand alone , in mud and blood .
The sky is dark full of smoke and dust . My comrades lay silent beneath my feet .
A voice shouts out in the Distant gloom
are we ready boys ?
My hat lays low upon my brow ,
my hands tremble from the cold
I look left and right ,
and the motionless bodies rise once more
Our eyes lock for just a moment , and then I look towards the huge climb
My heart pounds , it’s in my ears, so loud now I can’t hear
I grasp the mud and with all my might I climb the walls , my prison for these few days
As I reach the top I let out a shout and gun fire greets me
The darkness fades into pastures green where my love ones wait for me

I may have fallen , but where I lie a poppy lives
So when you see the fields so red , just cast your mind to all who sacrificed..

If you should ever come my way , just pause a while and stay
For many years I have lain
I once was young and unafraid

Fearless was my middle name
Left my familiar land of green
To a far more desert land

No birds sang
No flower raised its head
For all was dead

We reached the ravaged land
Not knowing what we would find
Only a red thin line that stretched  and grew

Knee deep in mud and topped with snow
We knew it would be slow
Huddled together to keep some warmth
Amongst the chatter

Lonely voices wept
And the months crept
Still no sign of a end
I lost many a friend

When days are long and nights even longer
The dreams of home are all you have
To return is all you desire

But here I lay
On pastures past
In a country I do not love
Many more beside me
So stay a while and cast your mind to a bright summers day  
When I was young and unafraid and
Fearless was my middle name

What is an adolescent?
Stare at the faded walls of my old bedroom,
Breathe in the air of my old home,
And I’m a kid again.

What is a grown-up?
Look up at the sky full of stars,
Savour its familiar vastness,
And I’m small again.

What is a professional?
Come back to my old practice room,
Find those sweaty shirts and socks,
And I’m a trainee again.

What is old age?
Rock on the rocker like rocking a swing,
Stretch out my arms to catch the wind,
And I’m young again.

What is the world?
Blue and green, some say, inanimate,
But it lives and breathes for me, changing,
And I’m alive again.