RRP: AUD $19.50 + p&p.
Picking Mangoes that are still Green
By
Willy Bach.
ISBN: 1-921214-02-3
AUD $19.50 + p&p.
About
In 2002 Willy Bach was in Uganda, in a unique position to observe not just the ongoing war in that country, but also the tragic effects of the War On Terror spreading across the world. This book of verse was the result.
Willy Bach can also be read at the following links:
- Leong Nok Tha: Poems about War and Injustice
Willy's discovery of his unknowing involvement in the CIA's Secret War in Laos - An Interview with Willy Bach by Liz Hall-Downs
- Blogs by Willy Bach
Proudly published by Post Pressed
Reviews
"A strong voice that relies on irony to uncover the most painful experiences brought to humanity by war. "There is a richness and appropriateness of Willy Bach's selected words. He goes 'inside the minds of rootless children to touch the pain there. He adopts a rhythmic tone to utter beautiful but sad phrases, which capture what happens when 'we declare war on terror,' and call the viper for a tune of venom. "Each poem resonates issues of wretchedness known in war-torn places: the hunger in children's eyes, the futility in 'picking mangoes that are still green', and the continuous suffering when what is 'safe and warm' becomes the unsafest place."
Mildred Kiconco Barya.
Extract
Mr Cool - key possessions
Mr Cool is clutching the keys
Of an imaginary Mercedes
His rented room
And the micro Nokia
He is giving to his girlfriend
With a firm grasp
In the tightly crammed
Matatu bumping into town
Across the potholes
Kampala 2004
AK babes
Worn around the stock
From many years of use
The aged generic AK
Slung casually
From her shoulder
At the horizontal
Magazine crooked
Steady in her elbow
Infant strapped
In the traditional way
On her back
Older sibling
Just walking
Kept close
For safety
On their way
To the battlefield
In deafening noise
A hail of bullets find their target
Spares the two year old
To be found and taken
To caring hands
Alone
Kampala 2002