Tuesday 16 April 2013

#16 – How Long?

The six o'clock news, full of despair,
Reports another bombing attack,
The country responds, in stunned disbelief,
How long 'til they call to "Fight back?"



Children go hungry, their parents unemployed,
Families losing the clothes off their backs,
The wealthy get richer, the poor stay oppressed,
How long 'til they call to “Fight back?”


Yet another school shooting, a class
Young children will no longer come back,
The gun-lovers lament their right to bear arms,
How long 'til they call to “Fight back?”


A doctor is killed for his pro-choice belief,
The babe's born addicted to crack,
A life is a life, no matter the cost,
How long 'til they call to “Fight back?”


Two men fall in love, not free to express it,
Judging zealots, mud-slinging attacks,
A youth takes his life, he just can't embrace it,
How long 'til they call to "Fight back?"

A violent sexual assault,
Young men, at the front of the pack,
The victim is blamed, the boys are consoled,
How long 'til they call to “Fight back?”

How many innocent people must die?
Or suffer traumatic attacks?
Violence assured when you live the beliefs,
Of a nation whose cry is “Fight back!”
  - Laura Freeman -
     April 16, 2013

1 comment:

Bev said...

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this poem. I can hear it spoken, in public, at rallies, loud and clear. Perfect.