FACES
It's the faces of the children
I remember most of all.
Dressed in rags
arms outstretched
faces wide-eyed
silently begging for food.
(If you feed one soldier
how are you going to feed them all?)
The children gather and stare
up at us, festooned in weaponry
safe behind our armour.
From behind me the machine gunner
pulls the toggle on an ammo pouch
withdraws a green covered bar of
New Zealand military chocolate
snaps it in half
and throw both pieces
down at the children.
I pop my ammo pouch
snap my bar in two
and throw it down...
as do all of the others
in our vehicle
some also throw sparkle packs.
... Another African day without lunch.