The Palestine Chronicle is pleased to feature a new poem by distinguished South African poet Rassool Snyman. I Rage By Rassool Jibraeel Snyman I rage I rage I rage I rage against The gods who let the world spin out of control I rage against the system that deceives us I rage against the machinery that destroys Fed by silent people Acquiescence Apathy And trickery I rage because we should rage And not be subdued Or pacified Or patronized I rage against the system that watches with glee As we tear ourselves to pieces Become monsters that howl at the moon With bared fangs And steel claws I rage because silence kills I rage because a vote is sometimes A death warrant For someone somewhere
I rage I rage I rage because our instruments of peace Have been co opted Are skewed Are unjust And far less than peaceful I rage because we resurrected Rome from the dead And gave it powers To kill To maim To create havoc To veto peace And turn us all into bloodthirsty beasts I rage because the colour of my skin Determines whether I am grieved for Or ignored Or blamed For my own misery and death I rage silently I rage openly I rage with my pen I rage with my thoughts I rage I rage I rage I rage because we feel pity for the emperor And none for the victims Who litter the fields Maimed Brutalized I rage because we are willfully blind Consciously deaf And grieve selectively I rage at our hypocrisy And false values At our double speak And undying Unconditional Love of Rome Love of the emperor Love of the slave master Love of the whip And love of our own humiliation Degradation and descent into bestiality
I rage I rage I rage I rage because children die Bullets fly Because we kiss our sanity bye bye Politicians deny Because widows cry Bling bling reflected in every eye Should I fold my arms and sigh No No No No No I rage I rage I rage I rage because I must I rage because history Is not changed by submissive men Or silent men But by angry men Who rage at injustice And spit in the faces of oppressors And stand by their truths Like mountains Steadfast Resolute
I rage I rage I rage I rage I rage Till I revolt And burn both palace and dungeon Come brother Sister Mother Daughter Comrade Friend Give me your hand Rage with me The silence is deafening Apathy kills More insidiously than bullets Let the drumbeat Of justice Pulsate deep within you Let your blood boil like lava And your anger like flames Flare to the sun Outshining it Dwarfing it For it is so that Temples of vanity Are burned to cinder And power destroyed
I rage I rage I rage I rage I rage Until justice is done And the future of the child assured Until peace is like the air we breathe And the fields grow flowers of joy Not whitened bones Till the hills of Palestine Are retuned to their rightful owners And the olive trees sing in the breeze Symphonies of leaves and birds Letters of peace To a war weary people In need of respite Until every oppressor Is harnessed Fears the rage Of the people Until then I must rage You must rage We must rage For perhaps it is through rage That a better world will be born (South Africa – January 20, 2009; "Tales of Extreme Sanity") |
