children are dying
from the simplest things
too much cold
not enough water
being a girl riding a bus to school
the sun rises in one place
leaves shadows in another
while the tide keeps its promises
China claims “indisputable sovereignty”
over the sea around it, sweeping
past the shores of the Paracel Islands
the Philippines Malaysia
along the coast red hibiscus
are coming into bloom
as women tell rape stories
of the Nigerian militia
what indisputable wisdom
our bodies hold
from so many colonizations
everywhere voices whisper
what the earth already knows
what do you hold?
Photo Credit: shelleylyn, Creative Commons, Flickr
