The Casualties
Are not only those
Who have journeyed to
The great beyond
They are well out of it.
The casualties
Are also those
Whose journey of life continues
Waiting for the call of
The great beyond
When they too shall step
Into the good night.
The casualties
Are all of us
Caught in the clash of
Life’s heavy blows
None can escape
We are all casualties
Big or small
Living or dead.
Fare well J. P. Clark
Your pen tired and weak
Has stopped flowing today
But the marks of it
Remain stamped on our minds
Sleep on great writer
Sleep well J. P. Clark
Adieu…
John Pepper Clark-Bekederemo
John Pepper Clark-Bekederemo was born 6 April 1935. He is a Nigerian poet and playwright, who often publishes as J. P. Clark and John Pepper Clark. His poem, “The Casualties” is essentially about the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970). When the Eastern part of Nigeria named itself Biafra and seceded from Nigeria, in the resulting conflict there were there were about 100,000 overall military casualties, while between 500,000 and 2 million Biafran civilians died of starvation. Most of them children. “The Casualties” emphasises the very widespread fallout of war. Nigeria has not come to terms with this tragedy and atrocity.
