Slaughtered Angel

Josette Baini

(i)
One board…
Held with two rusty nails.
Ancient ropes…
Tied to the bones of an old tree.

A little boy…
Swinging on his treasure,
Flying to the sounds
Of the laughing wind.

“Higher, Daddy, Higher!”
The old tree groans
Under the weight of innocence.
“Faster, Daddy, Faster!”
The ancient rope cries
Under the pull…
of the free.

(ii)
Standing in a paradise of ruin,
Searching for a hidden Father,
Dodging the little black fairies,
Fleeing from the mocking wind.

Staring into the eyes
of a rippling fire.
Holding onto the hand
of a trembling sea.

Feeding from the spirit
of a depleting Mother.
Feeding from the breast
that holds no milk within.

Safety’s found in lifeless arms,
A crumbling stench begins.
Covering him like a cherished blanket
Camouflaging him from the eyes
of demons that sing.

(iii)
A pilgrim…
Lost in a city of ruin.

Searching for a playground,
Searching for a friend.

Running through the moans of phantoms,
Breathing in fumes of decay,
Blindly falling on melted beings,
Blocking the sounds of shattering screams.

Hunger is not an option!
Innocence eats what he sees.
A pool of blood quenches
the unquenchable thirst.
Decaying soil feeds
the grumble
of our sin.

(iv)
Gravity pulls at the
bag of skeleton flesh.
Growls of hunger intimidate
the stillness of night air.

Finally…
Finding a familiar place.

What was once his playground
Now serves as the graveyard
for the unburied dead.

Searching for an unused tomb…
Finding no space untouched.

Slowly… …
Trudging back to the ruins
Embellishing the body of his
Beloved.

Her favourite dress,
Worn by an infested ghoul.
Nevertheless,
Knowing that it is she.

Gently,
A drooping head is laid
on her perfumed breast.
Cuddling into the warmth
of what had been.

Finally he sleeps……
The slumber of an angel.
And wakes……
In the garden of his dreams.

___________________________________________________

“In the last decade alone 1.5 million children have died in wars.
Four million have been disabled and a further 10 million have been traumatised.
The severe psychological wounds that war inflicts on children can scar them for life,
Crippling the very generations that must one day re-build their devastated countries.
For the future peace of the world we must do everything in our power to help these war children” Save the children Fund

“To them a name,
To us a statistic” unknown

“But….
These children will grow to be men” anonymous

“He is there….
In the little corner of our heart,
In the dust that settles on our conscience.
He is there….
But with the flick of a switch,
The dust is swept away” Josette Baini