Come, NATO Bombs

Come, NATO Bombs - A KOSOVO WAR POEM

by David Roberts

The hatred of Serbs felt by the Albanians in Kosovo is understandable in view of the human rights abuses they suffered at the hands of the Serbs. But this poem is not meant to imply a general criticism of Serb people. Most people in any country basically want peace, stability, tolerance. Serb society is tolerant and multi-racial. Extremists, bigots, racists, war-mongers, colonial expansionists are always dangerous - especially when they are the political leadership of a country. NATO supported the anti-Serbian racism of the KLA.

15 April 1999. NATO ADMITS BOMBING REFUGEES.
A NATO spokesman, Jamie Shea, said the pilot concerned had dropped the bomb in the belief that he was attacking a military convoy.
The alliance deeply regretted the loss of life.

Come, NATO bombs and fall on Serbs.
Deliver us from the fear of murder,
sudden arrests, mass imprisonments,
the fear of police abuse and torture.

Rain down. Rain down, NATO bombs.
May your guidance systems seek out Serbs.

Give us justice under the law.
Give us back our freedoms, our government,
newspapers, doctors, and teachers.
Give us freedom from press lies, hatred, racist attacks.

Rain down. Rain down, NATO bombs.
Cleanse our country of the Serbs.

So we prayed, and so the bombers came.
With deafening explosions
buildings, roads, bridges, military vehicles
were all blown away.

Night after night came terror from the skies -
enraging the Serbs who poured ever more soldiers into the country
carrying out mass executions, burning our homes,
renewing and escalating their savagery against us.

Drop more bombs, NATO, faster and faster.
Drive our Serb oppressors from our country.

So we prayed, and so they came -
more bombs,
more Serbs,
more terror.

And so we fled, loading our possessions,
children, old folk on trailers, on tractors,
abandoning our homes and our country,
fleeing in blind despair for the border.

We became a Biblical procession
an endless column of dazed humanity
trying to escape from the horror
of the twentieth century.

Could things ever be worse?
Things could be worse.

David Roberts

1 November 1999

Free use for students and personal study requirements when a student makes his or her own individual copy. For multiple copies: please buy copies of Kosovo War Poetry or contact the author for permission. There are thirty poems in the book, and an account of the causes, conduct, and tragic failures of the war.

Kosovo War poetry is published by Saxon Books ISBN 0 952 8969 2 3 £4-99 (UK), Approx $8 (USA) Available Worldwide

The factual introduction tells more of the truth about the causes, conduct and outcome of the war than we get from the mass media in Britain. The best short introduction to the subject of the Kosovo Conflict.

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