Silence

By Mirza A. Beg

A decent person, I am.
Regrets perhaps a few.
I love my family,
help my neighbors,
support my country,
even for wars of hubris,
in my name. No protest
from me, only silence.

Depravity in Abu Ghraib,
torture in offshore gulags,
facilitated by taxes from me.
I pretend it was a prank.
and raise no banner,
for the innocent,
in the name of religion
humanity or conscience.

Ghosts of Faluja witness,
wounded civilians,
shot in cold blood,
haunt even the ghosts.
Propaganda, I exclaim.
Trust the President.
Ignorance is bliss.
No tears from me.

Fears, defeat justice.
In a Faustian bargain,
I vote the vainglorious,
to stay the course.
It is revenge for 9/11.
Iraqis, Afghans, Al Qaida,
are all the same. Those,
not with us are against us.

Yellow ribbons on my car,
in memory of our troops,
to mourn 1500 of our dead.
I don't want to hear,
a hundred thousand Iraqi dead
and a million maimed.
Women and children too!
It is war, I don't care.

Second anniversary,
of a war, rooted in deceit,
uncovered, drip by drip.
It is too late to protest,
too much is at stake,
failure is not an option.
I take refuge in lies,
truth is hurts.

I shun the news of war,
lock it out of my life.
Yet, deep within me,
stirs a pang of shame,
but, I do not raise my voice
in condemnation.
In support of my country,
I have silenced it too.

The voice persists,
they kill innocents,
in your name.
I plead ignorance,
but find no words.
I know, I am guilty
of timidity, conformity,
but worst of all silence.