World in Turmoil ...

Blog 279:

Centuries of present and past wars
Visit and re-visit our old and young
Day by day, innocent bystanders dodge bullets
They get maimed or face deaths’ fangs
Communities crumble
Economic surroundings disintegrate
Social lives break apart

Yet …

Political enemies butt heads and arms
Pundits scream loudly
Just cause, they claim …
Demise of a few …
Gain of many (?) …

Mantras, real or not … run in circles

On the streets or far-flung corners, they echo

Voices shout in throng:
Independence now!
Democracy here!
Suffrage!
Justice!
Freedom of worship!
Down with tyrants!
Rid of dictators!

In deafening silence …

Cries of people on the margins reverberate
Still they’re ignored … get unnoticed …
Nobody listens
Not one pays heed
The dead and the sick pile up
Misery breeds scorn and hate
Hurt grows and magnifies
Pain competes with a heartbeat

The world spins …