Written by: Frederick H

IF THERE HAD BEEN NO WAR.

From Sunset to sunrise we waited,
Hopelessly like sheep for slaughter.
Our village stood amidst wild gun fire.
Heartless rebels ransacked huts all night,
Fathers watched mothers getting abused.
Ear piercing cries hovered above homes,
At this point, all nightmares were a reality.

My Motherland – Congo, richly blessed
With forest cover but divided by endless war.
Husbands and wives apart, children no more,
Families broken to the core, family love lost.
I remember my mother saying, if only my
Daughter had a safe place. We craved for
Safety. With all shelter burnt down,
Village shops looted, crops cut to the core,
My village became darker than a grave.

My mother was now no more, my father
Had become the wind that covered me
In the night. Jungles were our only option.
We trekked through thick forest cover, day
And night. Our destiny, refugees in a warless land.
How it felt crossing the border – a new land.
Welcomed as refugees but quite safe.

Yes I am a migrant. Uganda my new home.
But for war, I wish to have stayed in my home village
With my family. If only there was relative peace.
I know my parents would still be alive. I would have
Received a decent education in my motherland.
I believe I would have worked to develop my area.
My dreams died with the advent of that war.
If there was no war, girls that I watched
Being raped would have grown to live a dignified life.
I know it should have been different. Voices still cry out
Calling for peace. With peace, societies stand to
Protect the divinity of every single life, girl or boy.
Rape should never be used as a weapon of war.
Many girls I studied with would still be here
On earth, if there had been no war.