An old friend on a bad line from Wodonga
is asking me if the Recession
is hurting yet
but I cannot answer
because news.com
has a photo of a pool of blood
where a suicide bomber had
been standing
when she went seeking Allah.
We will be ok
I offer down the crackling thread between us
although I don't actually know that for sure
but I figure
no one wants to hear your heading for trouble
wolves baring teeth
and scratching at the door
I'm comparing economic down-turns with
13 year old girls
strapping C4
to their thin bellies
All the peeps are complaining
about how graphic the photo is
typing their righteous indignation
to news.com in vocal print
But it is just blood
no flesh
no bone
or bits of black habit
or whatever the fuck it is
Muslim girls wear from head to toe
A splash of crimson
you could be mistaken
for thinking someone dropped a can
of red paint on the concrete
and it burst apart
spraying out in all directions
Do you find God
do you think?
when you disassemble so completely
when your body is given to the air and the earth
solidity
exchanged for fluidity
She became elemental
I would imagine
for just a moment
submitting to belief and physics
with equal grace
her wholeness
replaced with altered existence
I wonder
if I would become air and water
and find God waiting to wrap
his arms around me
if I killed as many innocents
as I could mingle with
in a market square
shouldering myself into the thickest crowd
showering them in death
and metamorphoses
Who sends 13 year old girls
into battle armed only with
faith and flesh?
The phone dies out
my old friend
lost somewhere on
the highway
leaving me with
a splash of red
and dead air.
5 comments:
this is really good. very powerful.
you make it all the stronger by not being hysterical or sentimental. the quiet thoughtful voice of this perfectly amplifies the message as you wonder about the mindset behind such shocking acts.
I might tinker with the ending a little?
as in, I don't think you need to say there's a crease in your brow because you have shown that perfectly.
What is the 'Hume'? Maybe you could finish with just a line after that? Something about dead air maybe? Dunno. Just the last strophe seems superfluous to me.
how do you become a follower of a blog?
By the way, I saw a news item the other day that said 14 000 Aussies moved here to live in the last year. One of the main reasons was water shortages.
I have altered the ending, like the dead air suggestion muchly, have a looksee if you would
The Hume is a highway, and I have changed it, I rarely insert specific geographic references lol, I should know better
When you log into your blog account, there is a tab at the bottom of the page with 'add/remove' which allows you to add blogs you wish to follow
Cool, you have 14,000 Aussies and we have 10 percent of the NZ population lol
We should swap *laughs*
Save a bucket of water for me,
I'm coming over *grin*
lol
Dave is always making jokes about that character Odo on Deep Space Nine and his bucket. I just got a flash for you in Odo's bucket, lol.
Oh yes! Perfect new ending. The rhyme there is a perfect touch too. Clever old you!
No idea where you came up with dead air, but it finishes the poem off perfectly
I will give you a very bright star
in your NZ sky tonight as a thank you, it will flicker occasionally, just to keep you on your toes *smile*
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