Quiet now Elizabeth, do not stir

Ben, stop the clock

and mourn, in the same way

you should have fallen silent

when the people woke

to see the smouldering remains

of Grenfell Tower,

like you should have urged Liberty

to bow her head in shame

when an American school comes

under fire, like you should have requested

to Christ the King that in the face

of overwhelming destruction

of its rainforest, he should atone

and bring down suffering on those

who rape the Earth, like you should have

spoken gently to

The Great Budha in Bodhgaya and

raise his hands in despair at the plight

of his country’s young women

who are treated with disrespect

and you should have raged

in earnest to Samara’s Freedom Statue

at the treatment of its country’s gay

community;

Ben, Elizabeth, stay silent for a while,

don’t get me wrong, for you are

a beautiful sight, but perhaps

quiet reflection is needed

in a world screaming out injustice.

 

Ian D. Hall 2017