A Soldier's Tale. (The Raconteur)

Picture this,

The night before, you're having a fun chilling session with your crew,

Happy moments are made and are created into memories the very second the clock ticks.

Priceless right?

Now picture this,

12 hours later,

You're picking body parts of some of your crew members,

As though in a butcher shop,

Trying to buy your favourite meat and picking it's body part for your assessment.

Yea, that scenario.

I have your mind focused on a motion picture,

I have you thinking more than A,B,C.

Now, I think I have your attention.

The brothers in arms,

Dedicated and swore to always put the protection of their country as their number one priority.

Now apply the second paragraph of this poem to the life of a soldier.

It's even pathetic when I say the government of the country I live in don't even come close to half on a scale, in supporting its soldiers.

Unfortunately,

But this is almost a routine for soldiers in sambisa forest, Borno state, Nigeria.

With the sprouting rise of boko haram,

It's difficult for the average citizen of the country to have a concrete reason to how these villains still operate.

He described these villains as kids with ammunitions 3 times of what they have,

Roaching like roaches in the jungle.

Hatred in the heart of this soldier towards some of the country's leaders,

If given the chance, wouldn't hesitate putting a bullet through the head of these "lead-ass". 

He's heard unending cries of mothers in agony,

The stronghold of a fathers tear,

The uncertainty and unclarity of hope for my brothers and sisters in search for a clear mind and better days.

I could see flames in his eyes as he told this tale,

Pain means nothing to this man,

Death is as anticipated like his next breathe.

In disbelief he thought I was in, the night he told this tale but really I was trying to apprehend how he actually felt,

I mean my closest imagination could only be drawn from movies relating to this.

When I asked what made him join the force, he replied;

The love for his parents and that for his girl.

The passion that came with his reply made for realization that;

A Soldier’s love is true,

A Soldier’s loyalty is true,

A Soldier’s tear is heart felt.

At some point when he spoke,

I had to draw a boundary,

This is no ordinary man as he sparked reality in mind.

In his words,

“Guy as me and you dey here like this, if na jungle we dey you for no see my teeth, any slight waka from you, I no go waste time pop one for your head”.

We all laughed at this but in my head I became extra cautious and gave thanks to The Most High we weren’t in the jungle.

This man’s demons are far from reality,

This man’s demons are far from bad and good,

This man’s demons are of the grim reaper.
He's the closet thing to life and death.

                                                                  - Devante.

       *P.S This piece was written on the 8th of November 2015.*