"The threat" ; 1 Dec 2023

                                THE  THREAT

 

 ‘Pon the land, a state of emergency :

All around flaming hell had broken loose;

To restore order was a matter of urgency :

Victory was the order of the day, not truce.

 

With their firespitters the soldiers patroll'd :

With their cold, blue eyes, their piercing looks,

Up and down the place defiantly they stroll'd;

They peer'd into the back streets and the brooks.

 

Lo ! Red alert ! Yonder darts a little kid !

Trust ye not yon tender face rather pallid,

For, the five-year-old be a security threat :

SHOOT-TO-KILL shalt be our best bet.

 

"HALT !" thunders threateningly the brave soldier :

"FREEZE !" yells the warrior, raising his firespitter :

But, the kid understands not the goddamn language :

Of the situation, he understands nothing at his age.

 

***

 

There ! After his finest military fashion,

The soldier kneels for the unique solution;

He bends coolly, to take better aim :

'Tis safer to kill rather than just to maim.

 

Into the line of fire drifts the kid's head :

The best spot to shoot the enemy dead.

Right in view swings the dangerous target :

FIRE ! FIRE AT WILL, without any regret !

 

We're not to be fool'd by the boy's age,

For, the whole place is bloody savage;

We've been sent here to restore order :

Our firespitters will rip this kid asunder.

 

Properly had the child had been warn'd :

The infant had been challeng'd lawfully;

Since he continues to run with impunity,

To spare him now, we'll be well darn'd.

 

The threat hath got to be remov'd :

By no pleadings can we be mov'd ;

The baby could well be a terrorist,

A rioter, a wrecker, an arsonist.

 

The brave soldier peeks coolly and aims well.

A terrible shot rings out. The threat is no more.

A pool of blood, a pool of blood, where baby fell....

Ah, how the bloodthirsty killers relish such gore !

 

***

 

Although with law and order we take no chances,

We do promise to make the fullest investigation,

To explain to Mum and Dad the circumstances :

Experts at explanations would explain the situation.

 

***

 

Hark ! From yonder starts rumbling on some reprobation.

Quick ! Whisk our soldier abroad for his own protection !

He doth need protection, in spite of his misjudgement :

He shouldn't be around here during the little interment.

 

***

 

‘Pon the infant had been execut’d the decree :

The soldiers be ready for another firing spree.

At the place where the kid’s laughs echo’d,

Their griefs the survivors silently swallow’d.

 

Mum's tears still run, and will run on forever;

In her heart, a cry, as only can let out a mother.

The fullest excuse from the whole goddamn military

Yet to her haven't restor'd her belov’d baby.

 

All year round, from morning till evening,

Blossom on yon little grave the swaying flowers :

An indictment of the "justiciers," the executioners :

Lest we forget, forever let these rhymes sing.....

  

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ADDED ON 2 DECEMBER, 2023.

From the site of allpoetry.com

Zulfiqar hamdam awan -

 

commented on 'The threat' ; 1 Dec 2023

Wow this is long but amazing poem to read i love it  thanks for share  

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My reply.

Thank you. That was a real life story. In the early months of 1968, there were riots in Mauritius. Independence would be on 12 March, 1968. The English sent their soldiers to manage the situation --- the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry and the Coldstream Guards. A curfew had been imposed. A 5-year-old boy  was running in the streets. An English soldier ordered him to stop. The boy understood neither English nor the situation and kept on running innocently. The soldier KNELT to bring his gun at the level of the boy and shot him dead. To prevent the situation from getting out of hand, the English sent the soldier to be kept for some time in Singapore, though that island had attained independence in 1965. How can a small child of that age be a public danger ???... Soman Ragavan. 2 December, 2023.

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