By Emmanuel Monychol Akop, Juba, South Sudan
This your day, that made you a soldier
Belonging to Ariath Makuei or Shield-8
I did not forget, from that time they “conscripted” you
into the national service,
The local chief said, you Deng’s family
It is your turn to provide a person to join
The guerrilla army to fight for this land
My Auntie Akot Deng said to her siblings
That Ajok Deng the youngest of her brothers must go
and not the son of the late guerrilla man
But Uncle Ajok Deng replied:
“I am sick. Even if Mariel is young
He must take my place in the service”
My Auntie said
The son of our dead brother Akop
Must not go into the bush
My Uncle replied:
Military duty got nothing to do with fatherlessness
My Auntie got angry and remained silent
In the morning, my auntie sent me
From Pakic to Mayom Adokthok,
In the cattle camp where I found you
You did not talk when you saw me
You drank milk and cried
But the chief said,
“Brave your heart, you are a man!”
You turned your head to them,
Wiped you face and went with them.
Years went on and became twenty five
When I heard that you were shot in the forehead
My heart failed me
It is the same, I must thank God
Because you did not die
You are alive.