Oh, the crimes that have been committed against humanity
Oh, the crimes, the crimes that sore my eyes and ears and skin and lips
A brother strikes another because of the color of his skin
The millions of Jews persecuted and slain
A mother smites her unborn child
A neighbor kills the other because of his sexual orientation
Another drive-by shooting claims yet another innocent life
A Christian plotting against his fellow man
War\knives\guns\bombs
Jealousy\gossip\slander\bigotry
Loud killers, Silent killers
Cancers\adultery\incest\rape
Greed\envy\lust\gluttony
They carry in their voices the loud song of hopelessness
Of wars within our hearts, of the restless man who knows no peace
The child who cannot smile, a stranger walking without a soul
Oh, the crimes we commit against humanity and the biggest one of them all;
The day we killed the Son of Man—the crucifixion
The abominable suffering and death of the Christ
The blows against men of honor and men of faith
Men like Gandhi, men like Martin Luther King, Jr.
How long will it take to wash away the blood from our hands?
Blood on chains that enslaved the freeborn, blood in gas chambers built for holy men…
The pain of a wife or husband who no longer sees love in their spouse’s eyes
The abandoned child who’s not even yet an orphan—mama and papa just love their fix more
The uncivilized behavior of men, their barbaric tendencies now exposed in broad daylight
What animals we’ve become, no higher than a dog or sheep or swine
What shame we carry upon our shoulders, what hatefulness we bear against our very own selves
Oh, the crimes we still commit against humanity
The smallest and simplest crime of not acknowledging a stranger on the street
Or saying hello as we walk on by…
Will we ever learn?
Copyright© 2009 by Bernice Angoh
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