Justice Poems
Norman And Saxon
by Rudyard Kipling
My son," said the Norman Baron, "I am dying, and you will be heir
To all the broad acres in England that William gave me for my share
When we conquered the Saxon at Hastings, and a nice little handful it is.
But before you go over to rule it I want you to understand this:—
"The Saxon is not like us Normans, His manners are not so polite.
But he never means anything serious till he talks about justice and right.
When he stands like an ox in the furrow with his sullen set eyes on your own,
And grumbles, "This isn't fair dealings," my son, leave the Saxon alone.
......
Great Are The Myths
by Walt Whitman
GREAT are the myths--I too delight in them;
Great are Adam and Eve--I too look back and accept them;
Great the risen and fallen nations, and their poets, women, sages,
inventors, rulers, warriors, and priests.
Great is Liberty! great is Equality! I am their follower;
Helmsmen of nations, choose your craft! where you sail, I sail,
I weather it out with you, or sink with you.
Great is Youth--equally great is Old Age--great are the Day and
Night;
......
The Female Of The Species
by Rudyard Kipling
When the Himalayan peasant meets the he-bear in his pride,
He shouts to scare the monster who will often turn aside.
But the she-bear thus accosted rends the peasant tooth and nail,
For the female of the species is more deadly than the male.
When Nag, the wayside cobra, hears the careless foot of man,
He will sometimes wriggle sideways and avoid it if he can,
But his mate makes no such motion where she camps beside the trail -
For the female of the species is more deadly than the male.
......
Psalm 123
by Isaac Watts
Pleading with submission.
O thou whose grace and justice reign
Enthroned above the skies,
To thee our hearts would tell their pain,
To thee we lift our eyes.
As servants watch their master's hand,
And fear the angry stroke;
Or maids before their mistress stand,
......
Hymn 132
by Isaac Watts
Holiness and grace.
Titus 2:10-13.
O let our lips and lives express
The holy gospel we profess;
So let our works and virtues shine,
To prove the doctrine all divine.
Thus shall we best proclaim abroad
......
Walking
by Jonathan Goff
They walk in darkness
Begging to see
Their voices rise
Hungry to be seen
Invisible people
Still have
Hearts / Beating / Rhythm
Under the weight
of the waiting–
But always,
......
Stand Like A Tree
by Md. Kausar Uddin Ahmed
If you stand for a reason,
Be ready to stand alone.
Like a tree,
Rooted deep,
Even when the wind mocks,
Even when the birds leave,
Even when shadows grow longer
And the soil beneath you turns cold.
Because truth
......
What Is Scary About W O R D S
by Jim Kelly
Ear pain—
invisible
When heard.
Quietly read,
Its title hides
In public—
so as not to offend
The fragility of the powerful.
......
The Rawness of Denial- 1620-2025
by Jim Kelly
I speak to those in denial, whether by innocence or intention.
Denial is like an open, raw infection from a 1620s human cargo sailing ship.
The rawness of Americans’ skin was never treated, and the wound never healed.
Our collective and institutional ancestry suffers from this denial.
An untreated wound poisons all of our veins.*
Acceptance
Acknowledgment
......
Ik teken bezwaar aan
by Mario Odekerken
Ik taken bezwaar aan,met inkt en met stem,
tegen de stilte die klinkt als een luid systeem.
Tegen regels die knellen papier dat niet luistert,
en dromen die sterven waar niemand fluistert.
Ik teken bezwaar aan,met hart en verstand,
voor recht dat niet buigt naar de macht van de rand.
Voor woorden die wegen,maar nooit zijn gehoord,
voor mensen gebogen door kil ambtelijk woord.
......
