Future Scene
I wrote this thinking about the Bush administration's refusual to ban torture (despite their claims the US doesn't torture people), as well as the recent scandal of Abu Ghraib, and aspects of the Patriot Act that enable the government to hold a person in custody indefinitely, without any charges being made (for example, at Guantanamo Bay).
Future Scene
"The blood of the innocent cries forever." - Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
The azure sky lit upon
the millenia-old pile of rocks
and mortar--
once a building, now collapsed,
the memories of its past purpose
as degraded as the monument itself.
Now a standard site for field trips
of schoolchildren,
to demonstrate what they thought
they'd overcome.
Looking at the rusted metal bars
propped against a wall
(not kept upright, for lack of roof):
"Was this a zoo?"
"No-one knows," teacher replied.
Eyes catching upon the stone floor,
she added,
"But if it was,
I can only imagine
the sadness
of those kept in its cages."
Splotches of ancient brown--
once poppy-red--
were never quite erroded away
(unlike the memories of the place).
Future Scene
"The blood of the innocent cries forever." - Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
The azure sky lit upon
the millenia-old pile of rocks
and mortar--
once a building, now collapsed,
the memories of its past purpose
as degraded as the monument itself.
Now a standard site for field trips
of schoolchildren,
to demonstrate what they thought
they'd overcome.
Looking at the rusted metal bars
propped against a wall
(not kept upright, for lack of roof):
"Was this a zoo?"
"No-one knows," teacher replied.
Eyes catching upon the stone floor,
she added,
"But if it was,
I can only imagine
the sadness
of those kept in its cages."
Splotches of ancient brown--
once poppy-red--
were never quite erroded away
(unlike the memories of the place).