All those times you leveled forests to make cigar boxes
All those times you exalted flamboyance to excess
All those times you rammed your chatter into malicious cannisters
All those times you slaughtered hope
All those times you seized the bones of nearby tribes to build your altars
Still I broke bread with you; I unrolled my pallet next to yours
All those times you shattered prosceniums with shouts of vengeance and spite
All those times you stole the brooches and necklaces from the treasuries
All those times you fed children blood
All those times you carried out wanton safaris in downtown neighborhoods
Still I pulled the load along the riverbank with you; I dug the foundations for your parliament
All those times you burned the archives of your own grandfathers
All those times you violated cells with glyphosates
All those times you answered tears with blows
All those times you lashed the seas with rapacious nets
All those times you threw up sandbags against rivers of compassion
Still one genus enfolds us; I cover its sinews with my skin; And stay
Andy Oram
January 20, 2025