the conscience
of civilization
mourns the death of Socrates––
the crucifixion of Jesus––
the burning of Joan of Arc––
the beheading of Sir Thomas More––
the assassination of Abraham Lincoln––
these are great tragedies
of injustice––
how can
one man––
Vladimir Putin––
incite the summary
execution of a generation
of innocent Ukrainians
with a dismissive
flick of his
wrist?
there is no rational
cause for this,
just a super-catastrophic
effect
why did George W. Bush
invade Afghanistan?
then Iraq?
& at what cost
to whom?
why does Kim Jong Un
believe he needs a nuclear
weapon?
why is Xi Jinping
hanging a sword of Damocles
over Taiwan?
Christ pleaded to
God
for forgiveness––
“Father forgive them––
they know not
what they
do.”
but is ignorance
ever really
an excuse?