I do not fear the world’s kings
sitting haughty and mighty
on money piled as thrones.
They fear my teeth sharpened from
eating bread made from stones.
My ears have long become deaf
from the constant bellow of their praises.
Eyes blind by years of their abuse,
I shudder not at the hand that rises
to mercilessly beat me
swiftly into silent submission.
I feel not the sting of the whip
for my back has long been cushioned
by the burden of their sustenance.
I no longer cry, eyes having gone dry
from weeping constantly
for those who were forced to die.
I frolic in the face of fear
aware that kings are afraid of me.
They tremble as my shackles jingle
although they hold the key.
© Charlene Elson-Gustard
Excerpt form the book “Divided Lines – A Poet’s Stance”
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Foreword . . .
In a world of ever increasing advances seemingly created to make our lives easier to manage, envisioned to bring us together, to draw us closer, we are still in many instances isolated and at odds and validly apart. Something is missing, there is a snag, a rip, a hole in the spiritual fabric that we all see; yet we continue to fail to address.
It has been said by self-proclaimed philosophers, theologians, scholars’ and politicians that the abuse of words can be a danger, there are those that believe words are a leading factor in what ills our society. Of this we do not deny in full, there have been abuses, history is but a melody to that fact, yet it is also true that words have the innate capacity to bridge, to heal that which divides.
Opinions, views, religions, nations, people, even love divides. The focus of this book and the poets here in, is to give breath to a wide range of issues both small and controversial that lie beneath the surface. Things that we are often hesitant to discuss. In saying that, I will offer that the role of a poet is not to persuade or to add more rhetoric to the static we hear. A poet’s responsibility is to shine the light of awareness, to create a platform for dialogue, for healing, to gather up the images in an attempt to understand what we see.
Demitri Tyler, Author
Now Available at: www.ctupublishinggroup.com/anthologies.html
100% of all proceeds from this book are being donated to the “Starving Artist Fund” to assist writers in becoming published authors. Purchasing this book can help a writer become a published author!
Categories: Anthology
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