Cry, The Beloved Country

for John and Karen and Scott

I. Corruption

The earth quakes with fear—
as lava pours out like thick blood
only to make more…


II. Poverty

A cavernous cavity:
A canyon—
cut by the river of need.
Slowly carving deeper
into the psyche—
into the large, dark continent
of the mind.


III. Disease

A jungle of twisted fate—
venomous snakes
striking at the children’s heels.


IV. War

The mountains
jut out of the plains—
tectonic plates
of clashing cultures.


V. Famine

A barren dessert—
of dust to dust.


VI. Postlude

Cry, the beloved country—
but laughter is beneath the veil
of all creation—
as when the sun rises, and lifting the sorrow,
light dances in the canyons and the jungles,
on the mountains and in the desserts.