to kill––
to take the life
of another of one’s kind
is for a human
to commit an act
of God
to have deciding power
over life & death––
to judge, condemn &
execute
in an instant––
with a spark of horror
is beyond human
right
we amerikans believe
in the destruction of war
& in arming ourselves
in peace
151,000-1 million iraqis are dead
because amerika fabricated
an invasion to protect
itself––
151,000 to a million!!
Lord, let us count them!
we manage the iraqi dead
(military & civilian, men, women,
children, infants & grandparents)
with forgetful estimates
we the people
murdered black & other persons
& history hardly noticed
for centuries
is there a pattern here?
righteous arrogance, hate &
dominant force
the social-media are
the fierce & reactive
growling together in
gossip & rage
are these the same stampeding herds
that stoned sinners, burned
witches & tore poets
limb from limb?
humans are the animal
that kills & keeps
killing
we, who never lived so well,
do not heed the Word
of our God––
we watch the promise
of God made flesh
trampled in the streets
as we acquiesce to distant wars
& silently pursue our private
lives
now, we are killing Mother
Earth––
& every thing living is
at risk
we have hands & hearts & breasts
to nurture & to care
we have made a promise––
each in our own way––
to forgive & to love our neighbors
& not to kill
we are 7 billion persons on a
lonely, trembling planet––
what are we, then?
but brothers, sisters & neighbors
pledged to care for one
another &
our Earth?