#ArtoonsInnPoetryParlour #Pentastich #Poattic-16 (June 2022)
Prompt requirement: the first line of the first stanza had to be repeated as L2, L3, L4, and L5 in the successive stanzas.
This is a dedication to all those children who suffer from a scarred and lost childhood, thanks to the displacement caused by war. Human trafficking is rampant in such vulnerable situations.
A CROSSFIRE CHRONICLE
My soul feels parched, craving copious showers of peace
My dim and bleary eyes search for a familiar face,
A loving touch. Maybe…Mummy’s lullaby? I find neither here –
An isolated camp, far from home, with dark eerie corners
Where I crouch and cower, amidst a sea of strangers.
I shudder to remember the guns blazing, our house crumbling…
(My soul feels parched, craving copious showers of peace)
Our rosebush had just flowered, our kitty had a litter
My new xylophone, still bubble-wrapped, perished under the rubble
The warm grate snuffed out, leaving the cold debris behind.
The whispers grow louder as cruel eyes peer at me
Scared, I hug my rag doll, she cuddles me back
My soul feels parched, craving copious showers of peace
“Good catch…watch over her…jackpot!” fragmented words waft in
My eyes smart, head hammers, I muffle an agonised scream!
Mummy, I miss the musty whiff of your soup-stained tunic
And Daddy, I won’t be a pesky child, I promise!
Do come back now, please…let’s finish this hide-and-seek game
My soul feels parched, craving copious showers of peace
Let’s gather around the fireplace again, basking in love.
Conflict and crossfire, death and disease – I’ve seen it all;
“Tomorrow, we leave at dawn,” a steely voice instructs me.
Where for? Why me alone…and why this hush-hush?
Weary of fearing…hoping…praying, my tender heart feels torpid
My soul feels parched, craving copious showers of peace!
P.C. Susie Ho on Unsplash
