The Drummers and the mothers ( Poem)

| by Basil Fernando

(September 14, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka Guardian) 

The drummer drums the war drum
Bodies are blown away
The drummer drums the war drum
Minds are blown away
The drummer drums the war drum
The brains are blown away.

At the palace the drummer drums a festive beat
There is dancing and singing
The king is drinking deep
Proud words flow from his mouth as water from a gutter

Many mothers move away to remote places
Their minds separate from their bodies
They do not hear the drum beat
They do not hear or see anything at all.