Oh My Homeland Tari

 Poetry of my Homeland.

Author: Samuel Olene Yawai

By Samuel Olene Yawai

Oh my sweet, beloved Tari

Where blood flows like a river

And killing is a norm

The endless tribal fighting

Leaves my heart in shivers

In Hela, my home province

Where death is a daily reality

And the land is stained red

With continuous brutality

My belly button piercing

A symbol of my roots

But now it's just a reminder

Of the endless disputes

I long for the days

When my TGV was sweet

But now it's filled with sorrow

And the sound of bloodshed beats

My sweet home, my sanctuary

Now a battlefield of fear

Every step I take

My heart trembles with tears

I miss my fresh Iba Hiribi Hayago

And my sweet karukas from the mountains

But they're all just memories now

Buried in the endless fountains

I stand on the mountain

And see it engulfed in fire

But my heart aches

For I can't even see my mother's spire

All I see are the blue snowballs

Of Mountain Haliago

But where is the peace

That we all once used to know?

When will this red rolling

Of bloodshed and death

End in my homeland

And give us a chance for a breath?

The continuous tribal fighting

Brings nothing but pain

Manslaughter, hijacking

When will it all be in vain?

My heart is heavy

For my home and my people

But I will never leave

For this is where I will die, my steeple.

Oh my sweet Tari

Where killing is becoming norm

I pray for peace and unity

For my beloved home to reform.  

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