Say Something

and like great bob marley
sang
say something (rasta rasta)
say something (reggae reggae)
we stood up and demanded peace
we stood up and demanded justice
our voices that day
rang above the trees of that
southern plantation town
where thieves and murderers are revered
and greed is rewarded
lies are recorded,

our voices rose
in tune to the
lives lost in the wars of yesterday
wars of canine aggression
dogs unneutered and pissing
marking territory on the
lives of moms and teenagers and
dads and granddads and grandmas
just going to work
just giving someone a hug
just looking in to their lovers eyes
just making their children lunch for school
planning their futures
who they would marry
what they would be when they grew up

I do not know
who we thank that the people of Kosovo
the people of Panama
the people of Cuba
and Nicaragua
have not destroyed our libraries
our churches
our pharmacies
I do not know who we thank that
Iraq
and Vietnam
and Chile
and Japan
and China
and El Salvador
and Guatamala
and Puerto rico
and all of Africa
don't know such American hatred
that they do not retaliate
against my morning
they do not forsake education and food to come and tear me into many pieces
with sharp things
or with hands that do not know
the pleasure of holding.
because my government
has killed their family
who can I thank they have not planned to murder me
in the name of an ideal
who can I thank that their planes
do not fly above
dropping the feces of the soul,
the shit of the human condition
the ultimate expression of ugliness
onto my front yard to explode shrapnel aiming for my eyes
to disperse
careful recipes
to make it hurt

and where are you,
when those children are dying
what are you doing
what are you doing when the
children are fleeing and a mother
is trying to shield her
family from hunger and disease
as she creeps over to look into the
dying eyes of
husband, mother
father child

are you watching mtv
are you watching the sopranos
are you whitening your teeth
watching soft porn
contemplating hair loss
are you jerking off
are you fantasizing about chocolate
are you hating your neighbor
as they look for water
as they look for medicine
what have you done since the first
bombs fell
twelve years ago,
one million people ago,
many schools and hospitals
and temples ago?
What have you done to deserve
a right to conspire
to plan a systematic murder of strangers
the right to decide
genocide is patriotism
do not forget
you were born with in certain borders
by chance

i grow fearful and angry
because your stupidity may one day
put a gun in your hands
and a target on my head
if they can draw lines between
al quaeda and
and Iraq
that never meet
and you call them connections.

Long ago
i stopped pledging allegiance
but these days i am especially silent
I am like double silence
My silences reaches dogs
Miles and miles away it is so
Intense
My silence drives inward so deeply
my soul is screaming
and I
want my students to
ask me why
so we can imagine peace
hands free of blood
voices like they were
yesterday clamoring for peace
beautiful harmonious a
symphony of justice
these are the songs i want them to sing,
and should they utter,
oh say can you see,
in quick and
jerky vomiting growls
I will put my fingers to my lips,
wait for silence
and plead:
no more war songs
no more songs
of guns and money
sing something of softness
and life,
sing something of softness and life
sing something of softness and life,
say something (rasta rasta)
say something (reggae reggae)

Tracey Luszcz
Copyright 2002