Ordinary Men
They took us out into the bush at night
And made us sing liberation songs till dawn but they couldn’t –
Dismantle the image we'd built of white men as gods in our minds
They spoke of Independence
Of Ghana, of Nigeria, of guerrilla warfare but they still –
Couldn’t take the fear out of our hearts
Finally, they beat us
When world war two began they told us to resist but we still –
Went off to enlist
Until we saw them –
Ordinary men
Comforting weeping wives
Kissing screaming children on their cheeks
“Back before Christmas!â€
Until we saw them –
Leaping out of trenches yelling: No guts, no glory!
Until we saw their gory insides blown
Inside out, headless bodies
Riddled with bullets shot out in volley
Until they THRASHED OUT – in pain
And reached out for OUR hands
These men so superior we couldnt piss in the same pot
Until they stretched their arms out to the sky, gasping for air
Not power, or a whip but but air...
Until we saw them –
Carried by fellow comrades mourning:
Dulce ET decorum EST pro patria Mori
We would never have believed – that we could fight them and win
And so we returned home to Africa ordinary men
Our children around us, crying out for lollies
When all we had were black and red poppies
And the folly, of returning home as Heroes to be slaves again