Mysterious Humanity (Act II)

Somewhere in the blogosphere some time ago one of my earliest poems somehow found Kelly Stone, a senior Psychology/Communication major at East Carolina University in North Carolina.  

Kelly then emailed me to say that she liked the poem and wanted to write a sequel to it, which she felt would stay true to the meaning of the poem. I encouraged her to go ahead with it (also because she said she enjoyed feeding the three little fish on this blog).

So, here's the poem. I think it is cleaner, more direct, beautiful and powerful than the original.
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MYSTERIOUS HUMANITY (ACT II) 

by Kelly Stone

I will tell stories of a dirty, filthy action
of a cleansing that lacks the possibility to clean
of the unholy bloody sacrifice of humanity
and foreign military ordered in to reconcile their gashes
entering in with healing veil waving
eulogized for their curative offerings to a distant nation
with a neglectful sentiment echoing
“We’re healing, we’re healing!”
 
I have to tell you about troops sent to the edges of their nation
distorted realities directing their intentions
villainous murders disguised in military garb
stealing the last breaths of their sisters and brothers
soldiers from the island country
that once sent them to heal another’s children
in an act of contradiction ignore
“They’re killing, they’re killing…”

(January 29, 2013)

Padlocks on Sea Cliff Bridge

 

We stopped to freeze some moments
upon this serpentine’s steely pavement

(where a Fay and a John,

a Janet and her Jason,

and hundreds of other couples later on—

locked padlocks to its railing,
and threw the keys into the sea roaring);

  

We stooped to throw a look at the distant horizon,
memories unchained slithering from a time ancient

when we vowed to exchange passkeys

to our otherwise padlocked hearts.

 

-- Wollongong 27/12/2011