'Chibok'

A poem by Ifueko Bello-Asemota, entered for the recent Peter Dix Memorial Prize for Poetry, and written in response to recent events in Nigeria...

Chibok

It could have been me,
It could have been her,
The luck we receive,
So slim, so far;
It was them.
Bring our girls home.

Cries from the north,
Heard in the south,
Buildings burn,
Their faces we see.
Bring our girls home.

A mother cries,
The nation weeps,
Mothers cry,
The nation drowns?
Just bring our girls home!

Explosions, shots,
The language of the new age,
Anger, fear,
The smiles we are forced to wear,
Madness and chaos,
No beginning,
Searching for an end,
A desperate dream.
Bring our girls home.

276, only new to the world,
276, full of life,
276, if they knew this could happen,
276, our prayers will always be with you.
The constant plea, the cry, the mantra,
Bring our girls home.