(Sitting in school boardroom May 24th 8:00 pm)
As I sit
I noticed a very Big Bill Board
I had seen month after month but had never swallowed its writing and depth
27000000
in
Modern Day
SLAVERY All Around The World
I kept counting the zeros
What does it mean
Maybe if the important people in the community will have some answers or explanations for me
OR i might have to check my eye sight or the vision of the world
The Sign in regard to Slavery was all yellow accept the word Slavery in purple
Oh and in and Day and All Around the World in white
Do the colours mean something or do words mean something
I keep trying to swallow the zeroes
There are 6 zeroes after the 27
I only wish the zeroes were before the 27 and the 2 and 7 were zeroes too
I want to visit the homes of those slaves
I want to visit the home of their hearts and spirits
The spirits of the Indian eagles and the African tigers
The spirit of the owls and the porcupines and the wingless angles
And the old maiden resting on a bed at the end of the corridor with no light
One sign in the room talks about slaves
The other is a painting on the wall
One space is filled with 3 rainbows 1001 butterflies
Millions of flowers and children dreaming on every star
Tonight about the home of the slaves there are no stars upon which to make wishes on shooting stars
No rainbows no butterflies only 27000000 hearts filled with no hope to see the rainbow after the drought
Where and under what sky is a person born a slave
It is all right if one was a slave to his soul or to his heart or even his family or his passion
But to be taken in as a worker on land or a building or on water
And to have one’s certificate of birth taken away
That kind of slavery leaves me lost for words
Only one comes to heart and that is
FREEDOM
Your humanity touches me beyond words. Thanks for reminding me to pay attention to human bondage and enslavement all around the world. May your prayers for FREEDOM for HumanKind be answered. A very nice poem full of heart and soul.
Yes, when we first moved to Abu Dhabi, i always felt chocked, not enough air to breath. It was not hellish temperature of the moisture of humidity in the air. It was seeing my brothers sweep the asphalt floors at midday and i or you or another passing by in a car with full air conditioning and often not taking notice of humanities cruel existence. I wrote a piece called “The Invisible Men in Orange” and sent it to the local newspaper, but i have not heard anything yet and that was about a year and a half ago. I wonder how many times my brothers have cried to return home but they have no passport in hand, it is being safely kept somewhere with someone along with thousands and thousands of others, perhaps next to the other 26999999