PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

FOR THE WOMAN WHO JUST LEFT THE TRAIN

Your look of South Asian skin
radiates stories of rivers and deltas
alive with Jade trees,
lotus blossoms,
and ages old traditions;
harsh with oppression’s influences.
You reflect a caramel smooth smile
that covers
the dangers faced;
the escape from refugee camps
where rape and sexual slavery
were thwarted only
by acting and looking male.
You survived,
spent long nights awake
in jungles alive with dangers;
swam across fast moving rivers;
wore mud and grass as make up
to fool insects-
the two legged kind,
who also wore camouflage
to fool everyone they were human.
Somehow you survived.
Came here
and still must hide
behind that caramel smile,
short hair and pants
in vain attempts to avoid
stares, whistles, and
more threats of rape.
***
Isn’t it strange
in this land
of “milk and honey”,
what you have run from
still haunts,
and is all too real.
Isn’t it amazing,
in this land of
“the greatest country in the world”,
a woman is raped or abused
every 3 minutes.
Isn’t this what you ran from?
But this isn’t the only
or even main question.
The real question-
How long will we
wearing the smug veneer
of imperialist democracy,
allow this horror to go on??

~~redzone 5.17.12