| They Call it Victory |
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They Call it Victory
New York Cesar Chelala
They call it “Victory”--
yet the sky runs vermillion
with the blood of innocents,
They call it victory
as the earth grows bitter,
and the air and the water
are disgraced with poison,
They call it victory
as playgrounds fall silent,
and schools, hospitals, homes
and bridges are folded into dust,
They call it victory
as justice becomes
a graveyard of lost hopes,
the sacred oath of nations
is traded for smoke,
and religion is used to justify
vicious crimes,
These, they call victory,
But I only see the ruins--
the quiet, incriminating ruins
of what I call the defeat
of the spirit
that makes us human.
Cesar Chelala is a winner of an Overseas Press Club of America award. |
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