Into the abyss—a living man will live
Without paying homage to the dead,
A whole nation acting blindly
Toward an unholy goal, to peter out
And die by slowly destroying
All that it once held sacred
For the sake of “purity.”
No man is pure, and no nation.
Pure is death, and death is sure.
Let it come as it will, without these
Foolish recriminations. Your brother
In rags sees you wasting
Time in destroying what is sacred,
Sees you wasting what would be
Sustenance if it were not wasted.
He laughs because he knows
His labor feeds his body
And the bodies of his children.
They will grow strong from his work,
While your children will grow weak
With satiety and complaisance.
So you lash out against those
Whose children will know
The power granted them
By hunger and discipline.
You will say their values are wrong,
And dangerous to society.
You will set a flame to burn them,
But they will not go without a fight.
They are strong, and young, and willing
To die for what they believe is right.
Your rage born of hatred
Will be no match for their rage
Born of a need to survive.
The fires you set will then burn your own homes,
You will be caught in the traps you set for others.
Your brothers will turn their backs on you,
Desperate to save what they have.
You will be forced, now with nothing,
To leave, and who will want you
After all that you’ve done?
Forced to wander, you will know plight.
But fear not, for a new nation is being born,
One which knows the power of forgiveness.
And you will be forgiven, but still
A great shame will weigh you down
For many a generation. Thus, you must repent,
Do justice unto all. But the greatest justice
Will be done to yourselves
In doing right by your neighbors.
