WAR OF THE TONGUE

 By Edwin Eriye

Swords clashing, shields clamping

With resounding base voices across the battle field,

Splatters of blood

All over the confinement of the battle ground.

A massive blow from the opponent

Leaves me staggering to the ground,

Before my back touches the dirt

A resounding blow I must reciprocate,

But lo, the window for vengeance was shut.

While I lay on the ground,

I caught a glimpse of a fellow spartan

Been thrown into the mud of disenchantment,

On a second glimpse,

I caught all fighting for their life’s

Trying to avoid a blow or deal a blow.

Maybe this battle has been won,

But the war is still very much in view,

All hopes, aspirations, mantras, blueprints

Can not be trampled on by the ugly monster of war

Hence, I picked up myself

From the shackles and abyss of defeat,

Spartans chanting their win songs

Across the battle field

Gives a me a daring resuscitation.

With my shield I clapped my sword,

Breathing heavily like the escape pipe of a China factory,

Eyes as red as a newly cultivated chili pepper,

Ready to plunge my Spada

Into the heart of my enemy.

Suddenly, the gross desire to end my enemy

Became equivocal,

The reason for the violence

Had to be revisited.

Maybe a white flag can be in sight,

Maybe we can preserve

What ever is left of the already spilled blood,

And this battle ground

Can metamorphose into a love garden.

This battle ground,

Many would liken to the famous war

Between the Spartans and Titans

But then, no,

This battle ground is in the apex of the human body,

A war constantly brewing in our tongues

With nuclear weapons of ‘words’

Plunging into recipients

It is a constant tussle

Between what should be said

And what should not,

For many have marred souls unknowingly.

‘words’, now a weapon of mass destruction

In the social world

With many causing an emotional imbalance

And others birthing emotional stability,

If only you’d shew your ‘words’

Before spiting them.

THINK BEFORE YOU TALK.