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THE SHAME OF THE WORLD (NOTHING has really changed since I wrote this poem on Sept. 6, 2015!!)

dead bodies floating

in our oceans

from the Asian Pacific

to the Mediterranean

 

crumpled corpses lying

on our beaches

thousands drowned unknown

 

overcrowded detention centers

not unlike concentration camps

behind barbed wires

guarded by police and snarling dogs

 

nobody feels responsible

 

not  those who started wars

destroyed whole cities

made millions homeless

and into refugees

 

not those who take advantage

of the chaos for their own gain

abusing the names of their gods

or some ancient figurehead

to excuse their atrocities and greed

 

not those who live

in comfortable homes

and wish the desperate crowds

would just stay on the TV screen

and not come close

 

nor those who pretend

to be the guardians

of our great humanitarian heritage

but show no backbone

against nationalist fanatics

 

it is the shame of the world

to sit and talk and watch

and not do enough

 

those who turn away

the needy and homeless

could also

quite suddenly

lose their homes

 

forced to rely

on the kindness of strangers

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Written by
wwhoelbling
Published
Sep 6, 2015
Lines·Words
41·166
Tags
#war#death#responsibility#inhumanity#unethical#refugees
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