African Snow

I've decided to post the first paragraph of the article I was talking about yesterday titled "African Snow". When I put this on poetry.com, it received some pretty gracious reviews. If you have any thoughts on this piece feel free to post a comment. Please keep in mind my thoughts from yesterday, because they explain why this piece had to be so graphic.

Thanks,

Warren


African Snow

The flies swarm and mass as a shadow falling on the eyelids of the corpses scattered on the ground an onyx silhouette descending upon their flesh.
They buzz and pirouette as the sun begins to rise across Darfur; spreading a false-hope light across the land. The village burns slowly as the ashes fall and float; the only snow Africa will ever know. The ribs of the fallen poke through their skin as the snow plummets to the ground; they’re malnourished invalids in the eyes of the world. White-chalk outlines do not exist there are no investigations to find out who is responsible, because the politicians and world leaders are a million miles away sleeping soundly in their beds. A small boy stands alone; walking across the cadaver sea, a Christly figure staged in front of a Hellish scene. The militia marches forward with their “weapons of mass destruction” in the hands of a teen, ready for another crusade to wipe out the “unclean”. Our martyr shakes and trembles in fear as tears begin to roll down his cheeks.
The militia marches closer. He falls to the ground succumbed by fear he rebukes the blood that runs through his veins. The head of the militia steps forward pulling his pistol, a shining piece in the morning sun. He points the gun at the boy’s head cocks the hammer as he slowly rests his finger on the trigger. Our martyr then slowly slips into the cadaver sea, slipping into the blood-stained African plain.

(C) wweatherford 2008