Inconvenient Truth

Somewhere at dusk
light goes out of a baby’s eyes
The mother holds her son
to her dry breast
dropping her head
moaning dry words of comfort
rocking

Somewhere else
a son is dragged in the street
and left on the caked mud
his face contorted
in a silent scream
his still shining eyes
reflect the stars

Partisans reclaim the rope
Lamentations pierce the calm
and sputters of hatred echo
between quiet houses
suddenly lit
but hush toward dawn
when the sun ignites the sky

Wrapped in morning whispers
couples are moored to their hope
but when they separate
to begin their day
he’s recruited for the cause
that ancient failure of vengeance

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Author: Mary Jo Malo

Christian, mother, grandmother, and poet of occasional worth.

5 thoughts on “Inconvenient Truth”

    1. Thank you, and yes it’s a difficult topic to consider and treat with respect. Especially on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The cycle of vengeance in the Mideast and elsewhere between Jews and non-Jews, and within the factions of Islam, seems an eternal tragedy.

      Liked by 2 people

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