"Those Brilliant Eyes"
The recent episode with Doh Say was certainly something special. A Karenni activist and fighter, he opened listeners’ eyes to the reality of life in the ethnic parts of Myanmar as no other guest has yet on our show. Also in that episode, we greatly enjoyed hearing briefly from David Eubank of the Free Burma Rangers, as well as being treated to the ambient sounds of the Karen jungle.
But it was quite special indeed to hear David’s daughter Suzanne read a poem she had written. David describes the background of this poem, and we also include the photographs of who the poem was written for.
This is a poem and two photos written by my daughter Suzanne Eubank while she was with Karen soldiers and villagers who were defending their people from Burma Army attacks. She noticed an old soldier who had lost his arm but was still there with the young soldiers, ready to defend his people from the attacks of the Burma Army. She took the photograph of him below and then wrote this poem, "Those Brilliant Eyes."
“Those Brilliant Eyes”
Those brilliant eyes,
They shine so bright
While smiling
Or in a gun fight
They show the pain
Of the lost terrain
They fought so desperately for
A land they owned for years unknown
Was stripped and ripped from their hands
And yet those eyes
Still see the light
Of freedom yet untold
They fight for lives, of gone and yet to come
Those brilliant eyes
Reveal the wisdom earned
From years in battle
Though his heart was never turned
Those eyes shine bright
And full of light
With a slight glimpse of charm still known
Will hold his grandchild, just for a while
And tell him tales of old
And when they ask why he doesn’t have a second hand to hold
Those eyes will show
A love untold, and a price he had to pay
To hold this child, and tell him
"Oh, how I love you."
