Sunday, August 10, 2014

PEACE

Paramedics rolled up
lights flashing
sirens wailing and
in a blur of motion
they hit the ground
running hard
shouting for help
cause Peace is dying
drawing her last breath

I stood in the hall
watching in shock
as they rolled her
past me
she looked
done in
the blood was
everywhere
it took my breath
to see her injured so
such gaping wounds
how could she live
would she live

I followed them
to her cubicle
where
in a frenzy the
doctors worked
to save her life
seemed like days
passed us by as
we stood vigil
in waiting
to see if she,
we, the world, was
doomed

And then at long last
there was quite
as the docs
stepped back and
said,” We’ve done
all there is to do”
we can only pray
that she’ll come
through and rejoin
the living

I sat by her bed
all through the
night, casting
prayers to the
heavens, asking
for a little longer
to keep her with
us all, to cover us
with her smile and
embrace us in the
warmth of her heart

She caught me at my
praying, looking hard
at me through her
swollen eyes and
mumbled something
that was hard to hear
I leaned in closer to
listen to what she had
to say and this is
what I heard

Go head on and
pray if you must
but I gotta tell you its
praying that is at the heart
of my hurt,
the knife in my back
the bomb at your door
the silent killer

Don’t you see
everyone thinking
that their God is
the best, the brightest
the rightest and
they act on it
everyday in ways
that drive me to
my knees, reeling
from the assault
of a world gone mad
all In the name
of God
all through time
carrying on
saying and doing

“My God is bigger
than your God”
shields emblazoned with red crosses
death to the infidels
“May God bless us
Everyone”

“My God is bigger
than your God”
burning non-believing
heathens
at the stake for
their heresy
tearing down the temples
“Glory to God”

“My God is bigger
than your God”
line up for the
showers all you
Jews, Gypsies and Queers as we
clean up a nation
“Sieg Heil my God”

“My God is Bigger
than your God”
and His book says
that I may own you
all aboard in
iron bracelets
headed for the
land of cotton
“Praise Gawd”

“My God is bigger
than your God”
and to prove it
I’m gonna blow
up your people
bulldoze their homes
leaving nothing but
bloody rubble
“Shalom”

“My God is bigger
than your God”
so I’m gonna strap
on explosives and
march right into
that crowded cafe
Boom! Boom! and
“Allah is Great”
“My God is bigger
than your God”
and that lets me
shoot up your
Protestant school
its okay if children
die to prove
God’s might
“Hail Mary full
of Grace”

“My God is bigger
than your God”
and with my good
right arm I’ll
launch a fiery
cocktail through
your Papist
mother’s window
she’s dancing now
burn baby burn
“Amen and Amen”

Gasping for breath
Peace fell back on
her pillows, tears
coursing down
her face, her monitors
sounding the alarm

Now barely a whisper
she told of
Sikhs and Hindus
Christians and Muslims
Buddists and Hindus Orthodox Christians
and Muslims
Catholics and Protestants
Hindus and Muslims
the combinations
pouring like a river
from her mouth
filling the room
with wave after wave
of all the violence
done to Peace and
her people
in the name of God

Peace grabbed
my hand and whispered
in a voice ragged
with the grief
of the world
pray if you must
pray for us all
but do it quietly
for the sound of
praying is breaking
my heart....
















































 Randi M. Romo © 2002

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