Progress On Peace?

Little Palestinian girl,
holding her brother's hand, sobbing.
'Please, Mr Soldier, he didn't throw
the stone. 'Please, Mr Soldier,
don't arrest my brother.'

Little Palestinian girl,
six or seven or eight. Who knows?
But Jesus Christ Almighty she's
just a little girl pleading, as she holds
her brother's hand.

Little Palestinian girl,
I feel your pain, and rage against your fear.
I want to hold you close and say,
'It's alright, your brother will return.'
I'd lie to you, if I must, just to see you smile.

poem by Jerry Hughes
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!

In The Name Of The Father

In the name of the Father,
Crusaders sallied forth
raping and murdering.

In the name of the Father,
the Vatican turned its back
on the holocaust.

In the name of the Father,
we assassinated Gandhi,
and Martin Luther King.

In the name of the Father,
the Irish killed one another,
and the British urged them on.

In the name of the Father,
paedophiles lurk behind
dog collars and cassocks.

[...] Read more

poem by Jerry Hughes
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!

About Eric

There is a similarity about them.
Eric, and my father.
Quiet men, who went about their lives
doing well for others.
Gentle men, who didn't seek rewards,
the doing would suffice.

When I talk with Eric,
memories of my father come flooding back.
The timbre of his voice,
an occasional gesture,
the size and shape of him.
I look forward to those moments joyously,
sometimes sadly.

My father's passing?
An unfathomable void.
To Eric, I repeat the words I spoke
the night my father died.
'Do not go gentle into that good night.

[...] Read more

poem by Jerry Hughes
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!