HOPE OF THE DISPLACED

HOPE OF THE DISPLACED I know it will be a surprise to youReceiving this hopeful note of pleaForm our war torn Sierra LeoneIt is me, your friend, MohammedRemember how I lost my right footA price I paid to the rebel war. May you be blessed to always giveMay your descendants prosper unceasinglyTo third, fourth and fifth generationsFor the assistance you rendered meTo acquire this artificial limbThat now drags me along desolated byways On the invasion of January the sixthOf AFRC/RUF junta in FreetownMy house was completely burnt downLike many other houses, the inferno ragedAnd our years of labour went with the flamesI am finished and have no where to sleep My daughter was shot on the legShe is on admission ever sinceWe are homeless nowRoaming the streets and forests of deathStraining for living with other victimsBegging for alms by the side walk I plan to build a mud houseWhen the dry season comesJust to get out of the camps.Thinking of you gives me hopeI rely on you, O! My brotherJust as you have provided before With courage, some money and strengthI’ll build four singles and a parlourFor myself and my dependantsHelp me to buy some housing needsJust to get out of the campsAnd live like humans, not like cows It is not your wish for me to sufferNor would you like me to perishEase my life from further strainingWith your blessed natural endowmentYou are the hopes of the displacedWe look unto you, our big brother, Nigeria