Justice

A dark error that spins nations

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.