Two minutes’
silence for the dead,
It’s proper and
right and appropriate
For some –
understand – only the deserving.
Christian,
civilized, western deaths, worse than all other tragedies.
There’s no silence
in Palestine or Iraq
Or in the labs and
factories.
There’ll be no
silence in Afghanistan
When you’ve
finished your little ceremony.
Destruction before
and destruction after.
Your silence
preparation to go on with the show.
Silence with your
mouths, murder with your missiles
Mourning for the
dead, maiming for the living.
As the towers
crumbled and thousands of lives stolen
You set your
course and no turning back.
Carry on bombing,
carry on lying
People of the
world toy soldiers.
Silent smiles,
quiet calculation
Welcoming your
blessing in disguise.
Your silence is a
falsehood
Your peacefulness
a mask
Under the lid is
restless preparation
Bubbling blood and
misery
You don’t want us
silent, you want us silenced
Fist in our mouths
with soft glove of properness
Scream for the
dead, wake up for the dead,
For the dead, the
dying and the numbered
Take over the
streets, refuse to be beaten
To bring some
chance of survival
Your silence for
the dead is death for the living.
Our living and
clamour brings hope for the dying.
Jump up and down
and bellow for the dead
Turn the world
over and rip out its roots
Mourn but move,
fight and fail,
But never, ever,
be silent.
