I died
Drenched in blood
Open wounds on my head
And legs
Cut down
On my first day in school
Who will bury me?
My friends
They died
Blown up
Bloody parts
Strewn around
Dying for what
We do not know
Who will weep for me?
I died
Famished
Belly distended
Flies clustered
Over my face
Gunfire and screams
The last sounds
I heard
Who will mourn for me?
My mother
She lies senseless
Protected by her grief
Who will grieve for me?
My father
He is long gone
To fight war for his God
Who will wail for me?
© Mshairi
- Suffer the Little Children was written for the Global Day of Action on Darfur. Reproduced with permission.