bout de papier, Vol. 17, No. 4 (2000-2001) — Winter 2000/2001 // Hiver 2000/2001, p. 8
People only want to live
in peace:
The farmer, just to till his
field unmined;
The tenant, quiet enjoyment
of his lease;
The worker, to be paid in
cash or kind.
Not to wake to pounding at
the door
By ski-masked ethnic
cleansers, gun in hand,
Forcing you to pack and
vacate, or
Be shot in cold blood down,
just where you stand.
Some claim the rights of
States are absolute,
Immune to any challenge
from abroad,
Their own people to abuse,
enslave or shoot,
Without answering to any
under God.
Human security: they say
it’s just a fad:
But it’s what most human
beings wish they had.
Sam Hanson
Sarajevo, December 3, 2000
View the original scanned pages →
Originally published in bout de papier, Vol. 17, No. 4 (2000-2001) — Winter 2000/2001 // Hiver 2000/2001, p. 8. Read the rest of this issue →
