Questions

Today I want to ask you questions I know you’ve heard before,
at another time,
from another voice.
I don’t know if you’ve answered them.

So here I go with similar queries.
I hope you will not deflect them,
not bury them under propaganda.

Today I want to know
why your religion or mine
matters while you govern this state.

I want to know
why what I eat
could be a death warrant for me,
why my food habits
could be reason enough
for you and your cronies – you know who you are –
to skin me alive,
and then marinate me with your creed.

Today I want to know.
No, not just know,
I want to understand
this need, this militant desire of yours
to soak our feet, our brains in your rituals,
to tear our books and make way for yours.

I want to understand this need of yours to silence the other.
All the others.
I want to know why you want a monochromatic rainbow,
why you wish to force your scriptures down our throats,
why you want to melt our brains,
split open our skulls,
plant your beliefs,
and suture them back again
as if nothing happened.

I want to know why you drop giant boulders in rivers and create islands.

I want to understand your unwavering conviction in yourself,
so strong you cover dissenting voices with thunderstorms
twist their bodies till their blood oozes out
and rearrange them around your idols.

Trust me, I really want to know
if you could care to explain.

NaPoWriMo 2017, Poem 7

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