Sunday, September 6, 2009

negotiating these lines

there are whispers of genocide beneath the recent jubilation
propoganda emerges from that quiet machine gun on the street corner
obedient 20-something soldiers stand staunchly behind green sandbags
wasting their youth on the orders
no one was ever meant to follow
we've become so good at differentiating ourselves
this hatred comes naturally
i left one country
crossed 12 time zones
and met another population maligned and marginalized by the majority
forgiving human nature will never come easily

1 comment:

Franny said...

"And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of the spirit."

This is a very old translation of Ecclesiastes 1:17; the more modern translations don't seem to have the same depth. Except to inspire Bob Dylan to tell us "the answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind".

I miss you, Tracey. Take care of yourself; you are in my heart.
Love from Franny