Prejudice

Oh, Diane. I'm having trouble writing a response - I'm too busy wiping away my tears.

Macsm, it has taken me a long time to post this one. Its rawness is more primal than I usually get.

and they washed the blood from the street with a hose

But the stain will never go away.

Diane is this piece you have written anything to do with that terible event that took place in Arizona a while back. That made headline news in the UK and made me wonder how or why people would do that. Not that we don't have bigots and scumbags over here.

Diane it is a stark revealing piece, it makes me want to weep all over again. It carries pain, not only your pain at such a travesty. Everyone's pain. The family and the public everywhere
A lot of people should read and learn from your words diane.

oak, it was Texas

thank you Dys, I stand corrected

John, thank you for your encouragement. Sometimes when writing something that is so inhuman yet personal, it almost seems as if it is letting too much show.

When I read the story it hit in the pit of my stomach as I realized that any of the men involved could have been the father of the family I knew.

Sadder words are seldom spoken....."...any of the men involved could have been the father of the family I knew." Even without the fear and abuse within the family, "...any of the men involved could have been the father...I knew."

Keep on writing, Di. It is good for your soul, I am quite sure.

Sooz, you are so right. Thanks.

Diane, I have also felt that dealing with this kind of mindless violence becomes much easier if you let out yr feelings through poetry. If I may, and in terms of my dear mother, be bold enuff to show a candle to the sun, share a piece which I wrote last year to deal with a similar tragedy.....

Farewell my daughter

Last year, terrorists in the nothern Indian state on Jammu and Kashmir attacked a passenger bus and then an army camp and killed 34 civilians including 11 children, the youngest one being 2 months old - shot dead in cold blood. Several of the dead were families of the soldiers who were out protecting our borders from these very terrorists.

The blood on your body,
sings a duet,
with the red ribbons
in your hair,
which I lovingly tied
today morning
when I was dressing you for school

Your eyes are closed,
just like at dawn
when I came to wake you up,
except that,
your chest is not dancing,
to the tune of
the song of breath

Your dolls lie
waiting for you,
just like they do,
when you are away at school,
except that,
the wait this time,
is forever

I wanted to send you away
dressed in all finery,
red saree and gold jewellery,
with your husband,
not clad,
in a white shroud,
to be consumed by flames

Farewell my daughter,
Go, sing with the angels
light up their lives with your smile,
there are no bullets,
no terrorists, and no hate,
in heaven, your are safer,
than earth

but will somebody tell me,
why ? oh why ?
while your father was
protecting our country,
there was no one
to protect
us

Oh Gautam, you've made me cry with your beautiful, poignant poem. I hope you will continue to write more and post it here. Your voice has true beauty.

I am very impressed! More, more...

Diane, praise from you is praise indeed. !!