Tiny child <br />sorcerers <br />who are demonised by the horror, <br />talk of dark night killings <br />and eating human flesh. <br /> <br />Nihilistic warlords darken <br />the days of the people. <br /> <br />Isolation <br />exploitation <br />jungle heat <br />and disease of body and spirit <br />reduce bare existence <br />to exactly that <br /> <br />and yet... <br />and yet... <br /> <br />the river flows <br />the forests flourish <br />and the song of the human spirit trembles <br />and grows... <br /> <br />Let the instruments of death <br />feel the pain <br />and bury the dead <br />with honour. <br /> <br />Let the maimed hearts <br />and bodies <br />find solace. <br /> <br />May Kurz’s <br />muddled, muddied <br />Heart of Darkness <br />be delivered <br />to the <br />Sunrise of Hope. <br />Let the cycle be broken. <br />Let all be resolute and free <br /> <br />for my humanity <br />cannot <br />be separated <br />from <br />yours. <br /> <br />(18 July 2005)<br /><br />Diana van den Berg<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-south-african-prayer-for-the-congo/
