With peace they lived
24 October 2014
DAVID KASEI WAPAR
An entry in the Rivers Prize for
Writing on Peace & Harmony
Tribes and hamlets were not populous
Everything was provided by Mother Nature Roasted bananas and pork tasted fabulous
Surplus was distributed amongst each other
In peace and harmony they lived
Land was plenty for hunting and gardening
The sea held all that the coast and islands needed
Fresh fish served with sago was tantalizing
The young look up to elders and that was respected
Life was peaceful and so they had lived
Once upon a time the kina and toea were so real,
They were the source of pride and wealth
Until the so-called civilization introduced tills
Forcing you and me to reach deeper into our pockets
We can no longer buy peace with what we now call money
My crouching grandfather tells me stories of long ago;
When feasts and singsing unite tribes and clans
He says peace was there until years after dad was born
When guns became the magic wand for robberies in banks
Their quantity outnumbering social justice advocates
Our forefathers only knew of ulcers and curses
Unlike today where we wear out our lacrimal glands
For those who died of AIDS and other lifestyle diseases
Eyes closed and again I see grandfather toil the land
How much junk have taken from fast food outlets?
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