Gunshot wounds,
Stray bullets hitting,
Rain falling,
Wind blowing.
Scattered on the ground were dead bodies;
Water mixed their blood.
We were just walking,
To an unknown destination.
Nowhere to run,
Rescue was gone,
Vision became blurry,
Waited for dawn,
Yet, the cloud was always gloomy.
My sister was raped before my eyes;
My mother’s stomach was torn in half.
A rebel said it’s a girl,
Another said it’s a boy,
Then their leader said let’s find out.
Just imagine how I felt,
Standing there;
These are the curses Liberia beheld.
Running to Omega,
Where rescue was,
We left our foodstuffs at the house.
Omega was no more safe;
Then Fendell became the way.
We walked barefooted for days;
Upon reaching,
Bishop Alfred G. Reeves took us in;
He knew how it felt to be in need.
Fendell became terrible,
Gunshots became unbearable!
Heading to my mother’s home(Buchanan),
My brother became a victim;
A stray bullet pierced his chest,
Left a hole in his heart; making it impossible to survive.
We switched roads,
Had to get separated before we all got killed.
Now my sister is somewhere I don’t know,
But she left me with prayer beads.
I said the Lord’s Prayer every step I took;
The Apostle’s creed never left my lips;
It became my anthem for days, weeks, months, then years.
I looked around,
My heart drowns;
From cities to towns,
Everywhere frowns;
Sorrows all around.
I want this battle to end,
Now or never!
Knowing nothing lasts forever,
However, I hope my family stays together.
Authored by: Massayan Favor Kollie
Featured Image by: Photo by Hasan Almasion Unsplash
