the hammer of
the army beats
down upon them
laws of the state
dispossess them
eagles that feed
on time’s liver
devour them whole
and icons of justice
abandon them
they are scattered
in their thousands
across borders
and boundaries
and no one speaks for them
no one weeps at the rape of them
the laws say they cannot
buy land in their own lands
they’re dispossessed
of citizenship in the place
where they are citizens.
they’re the image
of powerlessness in
our time, the image of
vulnerability
of the peaceful way
in a time when
force moves
the world
and a religion
of light
dealing
darkness
on the edge of the world
where the centre
howls in its hollowness
a race of human beings
are perishing.
the world it seems
is good at being deaf.
the planet screams
women are raped
men are crushed
and tyranny
bursts at the seams
of its map and great powers
are silent. freedom’s hand
bloody and broken
is compromised
by the feasting
on hearts in the towers.
it seems there are two worlds
in one pipelines
confer immunity
tanks and guns break
the flesh
in the other blood
runs fresh
skulls are broken
on the pavements of history.
nations preserve
their equanimity.
this silence is a mystery
can you watch a
man being flayed
alive in the open
wound of the street?
can you watch tanks
crush human feet?
and a religion
of peace
dealing
in agony?
this silence is a mystery.