Men And Boys

A field of grass ombréd red with blood,

Weights that land with a dull, dark thud,

Sprayed by bullets, reduced to prey,

Then he chases more down, and it begins again,

It started in the heat,

Under the sun,

This is no competition,

And yet, they have won,

Remembering our days as stars,

Our dreams were shattered,

The future marred,

He wants our town,

Our houses, our lives,

To do the unthinkable to our wives,

We gazed ahead to where land meets sky,

Under the sweltering sun, we bid home goodbye,

We took with us what we could,

And we never understood,

A march of indignity,

We are burdened with injustice,

Driven out, chased away,

But not left be,

Screaming, exhausted toddlers,

Babies going hungry,

There was a woman,

Four children in tow,

Only two arms,

Beaten so low,

There was a man,

Pulling his father along,

Heading for new homes,

I wish you weren’t wrong,

My body is weak,

My limbs are willow,

My flesh is burning,

My eyes are hollow,

We are,

We aren’t,

They can,

They can’t,

Alone,

But together,

United under iron skies,

Soaked in pain,

Wading through blood,

Thicker than mud,

In the air, heavier than death,

As human as you,

But no longer with life