The sunlight was ebbing,
I couldn't clearly see,
The banana tree,
The sky was turning dark,
And I had a misty feeling.
Ah! dear boy,how we sat,
On a mat,
With grandmother,
As the same dusk
Was setting,
Years ago,
When I was a boy,
Like you.
The bamboos were dark,
In the setting sun,
We were waiting,
For mother.
There was anxiety,
As insurgency was
Raging on.
The sky was sombre,
So also were everybody's faces.
Then we heard a loud noise,
There was a blast,
Followed by the rattle of
Machine guns.
Sometime later,
A neighbour reported,
Two had been killed.
But oh! Where is mother?
Hours later,
She returned
With our tiny chaoba,
From the market,
But the fish,
She had bought,
Was dropped
In running Helter skelter.
And dear boy we missed,
Our much expected,
Sumptuous dinner
Which grandmother
Wished to give
To her grandchildren
Who had gone
Without fish
For a long time.
