The child that from the corpse-heap rose <br />Nursed by the light of faces in horror <br />From the stumbling-on of devil’s ditch; <br />Dredged of swamp and covered in ash <br />The cripples of the wire, now linked in arms <br />Hit out in extinction’s fury, as locusts razed the fields <br />Where grass and fruit-trees shadowed the sand <br />Schools and play-pens built and ruined – <br />And barren homeland smeared with flowers. <br /> <br />The children spread, their brothers met in cities <br />Where newly-starred and ancient pushed for place; <br />In unalikeness found they middle-men to rule <br />In common proclamation, raising blue eyes to a heaven <br />Where phantom faultless ghetto fighters <br />Blazed ignorance of 'insects' they trod among <br />Spread nets against the honeyed hives of kings <br />That gave no home to brothers all. <br /> <br />In nation’s mantles grew they, lonely – <br />Dust-loosened clothes they wore like wire <br />And, huddled in victorious despair <br />Their knowledge was of history, necessity – <br />Security of encampment and maligned. <br />Ministers spread the word of unanimity <br />And choked with new gospel the intruder <br />Who, in all but history equal, deaf to definition, <br />Destroyer with incitement became. <br /> <br />The child of wrinkled face, pitted by oasis <br />Held weary monologue with common aged; <br />Scarred by colour and distinction-blind <br />Eyelids smeared in chemical blood – <br />And walked the child with stinging feet the ghetto <br />And tripped on rocks and signs painted “garden”.<br /><br />Frank Bana<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/dream-betrayed/
