Saturday was a day of despair

7 years . . .
hanging heavy on my bones
dragging weary at my feet
7 years
watching destruction without respite

Saturday was a day of anger
‘how dare they ruin the lives of millions
without repent’

They? – the enemy?
do not come from another tribe or religion or ethnic group
is this him?
sitting there on the other side of the table
a father dressed in a police uniform that years ago
he wore with pride
now the badge of violence and oppression
-our father/uncle/brother/daughter
their side chosen?

Help
does not come dressed in a dark suit
the banker who will sort the economy,
or a in a uniform
to protect our rights

Hope
does not arrive with a group of election monitors
- for we have learned they cannot see
nor does it come with a group of African leaders
presented with lists of violations of our rights
- for we have learned the compromise of their positions

Hope
does not arrive grasped in the hands of a saving hero

but in filtering light of the early morning
distilled through leaf shadows
a message echoed at dawn
as birds claim their voice in individual song

Hope may only arrive in the realization
that the real enemy is our own despair

This entry was posted on June 9th, 2007 at 1:37 pm by Bev Reeler and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.