The Sun Goes To School

In my country,

the sun,

learned and smart,

goes to school,

So do the mountains and the blue skies,

& the sound of bombs,

the thick black smoke that curls,

they all go to school,

sitting quietly,

as the teacher in his long gown,

& flowing mustache,

points out the arithmetic on the board,

have you been to Afghanistan?

the classroom walls are columns of dust,

the classroom chairs are colored mats,

the young ones squat on the mats,

& with the sun, mountain and blue skies,

with the bombs and smoke, they learn to add,

& with each division, they hope to sum it all up,

with each multiplication, they hope to make it all stop,

they wish to make it all good,

in Afghanistan, the sun goes to school.

______

Chika Jones is a Nigerian spoken word poet.