A Walk on the Snow
It feels cold inside
when people cannot break the stillness
when human tongues revolve
around cars, TV and food
when the painful silence
is deep deep in the human heart.
I walk out of this coldness inside
away from the comforts and heating
installations in the house
away from the speed and heat of a car.
I simply walk on the field
looking at the vast space of emptiness
treading on the snow,
the snow that has
covered the grasses.
It gives me a deep sense of joy
that the walk to turn away
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poem by Elizabeth Padillo Olesen
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To The Lord Of Creation
Fires in Greece and Indonesia
tidal waves in Papua New Guine
bombs in Tanzania and Kenya
bombs of revenge for Sudan and Afghanistan
bombs for freedom in Ireland, Israel and Palestine
floods in the Gangtze rivers of China and Korea
nuclear boasts of Pakistan and India
nuclear tests unleashed in your lands and seas.
Here we stand again
before the ugly monsters
that eat up our shelters,
farms and other means to live on.
Here we come again
face to face with monsters
that gooble up lives of people
by the hundreds, by the thousands
and by millons and billions of lost currencies.
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poem by Elizabeth Padillo Olesen
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Small Children in Prison
'I only steal from the rich
Not from the poor,
I steal because I am hungry',
said the nine year old boy
as he was interviewed in jail.
Imprisoned for crimes
like stealing food to appease
hunger in the tummy,
Etsoy and others are caged like animals
sharing a pot of rice among
11 or 15 in-mates three times a day.
Mixed with adult criminals
charged with heinous crimes,
here they are in jail without pencil,
books, crayons and oil lamp,
Here they dread going to sleep,
scared of being raped.
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poem by Elizabeth Padillo Olesen
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Haiti Survivor
The earth shook
And the buildings collapsed
She and her friends were trapped
Total eclipse.
Light left no trace
In darkness she heard
herself and her friends
crying, sobbing, moaning
in pain so unbearable to bear.
She could not move her legs
Only her hands could touch
a stone, wanting to embrace
her friends but she could not.
Dusts filled her lungs
She coughed, yes, they coughed.
They continued to sob and moan
She screamed calling for help
She yelled in all despair
but nobody heard her.
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poem by Elizabeth Padillo Olesen
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