Asmarina......
This sacred city of our land
Once became a prison camp
When a quarter of a million
Derg armies
Made our top flats
Their trenches
And our historic schools
Their clubs and hospitals.
Life was early to bed
And early to rise
But not for runaway dogs
Which howled and roamed
Till the cock crows.
There was money
But nothing to buy
The hungry child had to cry
Every now and then
While sucking the dry breast
Of undernourished mother.
There was a shortage of supplies
No sugar or coffee
For many days and nights.
The poor mothers
Had to grind some candies
In order to sweeten their tea.
But not only that....
They had to chop to pieces
Their tables, chairs and boxes
Or every other goods
Which used as a fire woods.
We saw the dancing trees
Which were accustomed
To the gentle blow of friendly winds
While knocking down everywhere
By a bomb-generated hurricane.
We saw the signing birds stirred
By the ugly sound of bombs.
We saw the abandoned child
While running to approaching tanks.
We saw the aged, and bedridden
And visually impaired
Who had no one around
To take them out
While their houses
Burned to the ground.
We saw many young women
In the line
>From nine
To dusk
How long, how dark
To get their share
>From water tanks.
We saw many poor folks sleeping
Inside windowless train cars
Of the legendary Ferovia
A reminiscent of Sawa
Under the leadership of Gedil
Which means struggle.
At last, my country men and women
We learned the hard way.
Eternal glory to our martyrs
A paragon of Biblical David
Who challenged Goliath.
Haile Bokure
Received on Wed Jun 20 2012 - 12:38:10 EDT
