When You Can Touch and Walk It

With a deep sigh of relief, Mama took a seat on the papyrus mat

Placed on the cold floor made of terrazzo

Once a home for the soldiers,

Without shutters on the windows and door

This sheltered us for nearly three years and held our dignity together

With clothes hanged above the walls

This very cold particular night, Mama came back soaked from the rain which seemed

Like tears from the ancestors washing

Off all the curse of being banished by

The LRA to the IDP camp in a distant town

Away from what we called home since life begun.

This time the deep sigh accompanied with a weak smile

Escaping from her bright eyes

And she finally announced of how we will

Be returning back home in a big truck

And so, we would not have to trek for the entire week like

When we came.

Being a very inquisitive child, I asked where

We shall live upon arrival because there was no hut

Standing when we left

Because we could see from a distance on the hills

Thick, dark smoke and red tongues of flames on the huts and grannies

She said in the tents in the camp. “Again”?!

I asked in disbelief

The schedule for us to depart came pretty slowly

As we were too excited

It was pure joy, we sat on the floor of the dusty truck

For World Food Program while the men and boys stood on the sides

Supporting themselves with the rails

Chatters of hope and Reminicensing memories of the good old times

was all we could hear

but praying silently that landmines should not affect our convoy

carrying different families believing the peace

we long prayed for had finally come

When we finally arrived at the dusty narrow single street

of our once trading Centre,

we held each other but the tears could not be hidden

pure peace and joy

Stepping on that ground felt anew

everything smelt of dust mixed with peace and joy even with the skeletons

of the huts and grannies in the distance

even with the hand-outs from Red Cross and WFP, the presence of peace was swaying in the air

we prayed and finally peace came

fifteen years nearly

I can smell the chaos

But the presence of peace is unbeatable!!!!