There’s some somberness that this book inserts into the mind of the reader as soon as one finishes the first poem.
This doesn’t water down the artistry of the author Jerusha Kananu Marete.
Her words bring out the imagery of the matter.
In this book, the author shares celebration, praise, sharing of bitter memories, the confusion, fear, hurt, heartbreak and hope – Ekoroi
Her pen paints how military families cope while a loved one is on duty, their fears when one is in combat, how they take in the message that their loved one is no more and how they pick up the pieces after that happens. Sometimes the pieces to be picked up is that after a mission, the soldier deserts the family. Post-traumatic stress disorder.
Life is tough for the women left behind, the fatherless sons’ and daughters live through a lot.
She magically captures all the above through poems.
The 42 paged book takes one through the cold world of war but also the love between all these.
The book begins with The Promise which is an acceptance of the fact that a loved one is gone and is never coming back. The poem which is from the perspective of a soldier’s wife sets the mood, a sombre one for the whole book. Even though there are some that depict companionship and lift one’s spirit.
The poems of gains and losses depict the hard world of a soldier’s spouse. Many fall into depression and the loss, sometimes being deserted or be it death, leads to more loss.
At the local brew den, she is a resident
Drowning her pain away.
She’s a husk ghost walking
A shell of former self
Mourning the loss of her gains
– Echoes of Military Souls by Jerusha Kananu Marete
Fare thee well show acceptance and hope after loss.
Hopes went to the ground,
But your spirits around
– Echoes of Military Souls by Jerusha Kananu Marete
There’s Betrayal, there’s Painful Passion, and there’s also the love for the life of soldiers life, in defence of one’s country.
Army Brat beautifully captures this fact.
I am an army brat, and to all soldiers
When the nights re quiet
Loneliness loud
And conditions cruel
Don’t be scared….
– Echoes of Military Souls by Jerusha Kananu Marete
There are many other poems in the book, get the book from Nuria Store and read the rest of the poems.
