Roots

Let’s root out the rot,
Unearth the duds,
Weed out the wronguns –
Purge that perennial problem
Once and for all.

A lasting solution
Is what we seek.
Strategies intact –
Unchallenged,
Unquestioned,
Unapologetic
– In plain sight.

Fragments of our former suffering,
Re-enacted by our own hand:
Let’s adorn the cape,
Don the mask,
Sharpen the horns.
Ready the pitchfork.

We: the chosen
Need not comply,
Neither honour,
Nor obey –
A law unto ourselves.
Red lines: inconsequential,
Consumed by conviction,
By grief,
By retribution …

Lessons unlearned,
The past resurrected,
The circle complete.
Though,
By whatever means,
We’ll soldier on …

Those roots we’ll pluck,
We’ll sever,
We’ll trample,
Pollute and poison,
Starve and deprive
Of light, of hope,
Of land, of breath.

Slash and burn –
Smoke out the remains,
And within the flames
We’ll rejoice.
Rejoice.
Rejoice,
As they wither,
Wilt and wane,
One by one
– for the greater good.

Yet,

Rooted beneath that sullied soil,
Those scattered seedlings –
Soon to sprout,
Resilient … relentless …
Will rise anew…

©emma lumsden 18/10/24

“People think they’re going to lose something by talking about Palestine.
But they should think about what they lose by not talking about Palestine.”
Ta-Nehisi Coates (The Guardian, Wed. 23 Oct 2024)