Fatima The War Nurse by Nassefh Macla

       

           Stories and poetry about war and peace in Philippine Literature promotes peace and unity, telling us that wars are  created by people and can also be solved by people. One of the young writers in Mindanao Mohammad Nassefh Macla a Kaagan Moro writer who also contributes in Dagmay: Literary Journal of Davao. Most of his works tackles about the unending issues of wars in Mindanao. One of his admirable work was entitled Fatima The War Nurse published on year 2016 in Dagmay. It is a free verse poem that revolves about the experiences and hardships of a veiled war nurse. The author himself had grew up experiencing war between his clan and the government, and through writing this poem he expresses the wrath of wars and the attainment of peace with the use of imagery and symbolism.

          The poem started with describing how most of the nurses or war nurses felt during their job, always silently praying hoping no one had been severely injured. The author also employs the use of imagery in most part of the poem to make the readers dive into the experience of being a veiled war nurse. Starting from expressing the sacrifices,hardships and how chaotic it is in the battlefield, these emotions can be observe in verses 2 and 10;

       "But when the forest hushes from gunfire and grenades, she hears howls of pain, Tabang,tabang kamo!""Fatima hears gunfire go off again as she washes her hands."

The repetition of the word 'tabang' which means asking for help in vernacular,it emphasized the pain and sacrifices of each fighters. In this unending war in Mindanao injuries and deaths couldn't be avoided. The author made us imagine what are the common wounds these soldiers could experience.Nonetheless aside from the sad results of tragedies, nurses existed to be brave enough to take the duty of feminine, taking care and healing the warriors. Always prepared and mask their fear with smile to give hope and bring light to their patients. But in the poem I conclude that veiled nurse experience is somehow different from the nurses who doesn't wear veils. From the author who aims to describe his experiences and observation in Bangsamoro through his talent in writing. Moro or Muslims most of them are misjudged as part of a rebel group that's why some patients refused to be in their hands. It was presented in the poem when a patient refused her care because she was wearing a veil.  But that doesn't stop the persona to stop her services, she just look into another patient since then and continued her duty.I admire the persona for staying on her job despite all the criticisms she receive just because of her culture in wearing a veil. People may feel like she's dirty but she was determined enough to serve.Some symbolism in poem were the veils, for Moro's it's a sign of liberation or freedom from the harassment of men. Since nurses heals soldiers which are men they must wear veils to protect themselves. However in the story it isn't just a veils to protect themselves, especially she wears it in the color of pink. Pink symbolizes care, compassion and love to one another, this color relaxes the patient knowing that the one who wears it will be healing them. And aside from bringing relaxation the pink veil also gives them hope, hope and light that tomorrow could be the day where in they can achieve the peace they were longing. One of her patient mentioned "allahamdulliah" which means Glory to God and it made her smile. Nurses' caring actions aim to facilitate the patient's belief and relationship with God. And the beginning point of the concern showed by the nurses is their relationship with God, (Lovering,2008).The author ended the poem with the persona closing her eyes and waiting for the forest to be completely silently. And that's what all people do may it be the soldiers or the war nurses they just hope and pray for the chaos to stop.

         Fatima the War Nurse is a poem that tackles the reality behind the abundance of Mindanao it is the unending wars with Muslims. And the author expressed his emotion and showed to us his experience by the use of imagery and symbolism's through his poem that presents hope by the use of the character Fatima. Fatima symbolizes our Hope for the peace that we wanted to gain for our country. A war nurse who was judged because of her appearance yet it never did stop her to continue serving and be the light for the hopeful soldiers. According to the Theory Wounded Healer by Conti-O’Hare (2002)  individuals are often led to specific professions, such as nursing, by their desire to relieve the suffering of others after experiencing or witnessing traumatic events in their own lives. That's why nurses are often called wounded healer, Fatima had experienced pain but it's her desire to continue helping and be the instrument of Allah to show hope to other people.

         The poet had effectively deliver his emotion and make us experience the reality of wars. According to poet Moldez (2013), “A poem is a manifestation of social dynamics. It does not affect to change society. A poem cannot do that, but it can change people’s attitude. And as writers, we can humanize the horrors of war with the beauty of words." Literary writers are peacemakers, they write to express. These stories of war are not to promote injustice but to expose the unity behind these chaotic events. This urge us to be united and seek peace together as we hear each other screams of help. This pushes us to be hopeful of the brighter tomorrow, and that's what the author Nassefh Macla wants us feel, to be hopeful.

Written By: Eowyn M. Sab

11- Peridot

References:

  Lovering, S. (2008). Arab Muslim Nurses’ Experiences Of The Meaning Of Caring retreived from

 http://scholar.google.com.ph/scholar_urlurl=http://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/bitstream/2123/3764/1/sr_lovering_2008_thesis.pdf&hl=en&sa=X&scisig=AAGBfm2nxjZE4sItBA1lvfZjs8YJ5a-Tvg&nossl=1&oi=scholar

 Moldez, R. (2013).War and peace–and literature, retreived from https://www.google.com/ amp/s/lifestyle.inquirer.net/141545/war-and-peace-and-literature/amp

Conti-O’Hare, M.(2002). Lateral Violence in Nursing and the Theory of the Nurse as Wounded Healer retreived from http://ojin.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol-19-2014/No1-Jan-2014/Articles-Previous-Topics/Lateral-Violence-and-Theory-of-Wounded-Healer.html

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