Not in my Name

I originally wrote this a while ago, but I think this can still apply to what is happening in today's world.

We see it on the flat screen,

Curled up in despair.

And even though I’m not there,

Your tears are our tears,

Your pain is our pain.

We stand beside you, holding out a hand.

One human to another,

A sister,

Our friend.

We say we have a democracy

But who do they represent?

Not us, not this country.

We do not stand for this.

We do not stand for violence.

We do not stand for war.

We do not stand for the stupidity of those who call on us to attack,

Yet leave nothing for recovery.

Before, we could treat our enemies with the knowledge

That we are not like them.

We do not resort to violence.

But when the act of murder becomes one and the same,

What can we call ourselves? Where do we draw the line?

Innocents should be treated as long lost friends

And our friends should not fear the dusk,

Wondering if they will ever see the dawn.

Thousands of friends are not a number.

They are trapped souls in this war game you are so eager to play.

Not in our mind,

Not in our heart,

Not in our name.

Reviews

[Dr. YumnaKay]

This is a really well-written composition, which speaks the mind of so many of us. Nice reading it ☺

[brownie2109]

Thank you for your review :)

[Dr. YumnaKay]

You are very welcome :)

[Jamieya B-Johnson]

A greatly powerful poem that speaks on behalf of so many. I can hear myself in this poem. It reaches down deep. Well put together.

[brownie2109]

Thank you for your comment. It means a lot that you like it :)

[Orizielle]

Wow. Just wow. This was so beautiful, so accurate, so real. Specially the lines,

"We say we have a democracy
But who do they represent?
Not us, not this country.
We do not stand for this."

show that the s**t is real. This is what we have come to. Today, democracy is a standing joke. But the lines

"
We stand beside you, holding out a hand.
One human to another,
A sister,
Our friend."

still give a sign of hope. The opening paragraph just sends a shiver down the spine, but my favourite part was "They are trapped souls in this war game you are so eager to play." It's just so beautiful, a perfect interplay of words.

I can't say how much I love this. And I know this is cheesy, but I still kind of hope for when this won't apply to our world any more.
You are a wonderful writer! Keep writing! Cheers! :)

[brownie2109]

Thank you for such kind comments :D They mean a lot to me. This came from a particular place of anger, and what you said isn't cheesy. I'm hoping for a more peaceful world too.

[Orizielle]

Aren't we all? No matter what happens, some people still don't give up on hope. That is why the world is still going on, I guess.