As the
locusts progress,
The tsunami
takes in its fatal breath,
The first
rumours of the quake surface
And air
raid sirens pierce silent skies
We say they
will not destroy our fields.
It will not
drown my streets.
It will not
shake my house.
It will not
strike me
or my neighbour.
But when
the locusts do not stop,
The wave
does not halt upon our shores,
The shaking
starts without hint of conclusion
And missiles
fall as rain
On the just and the unjust
We learn what
it takes to know each other
Friend or
foe, sister or brother;
We are all
neighbours here
As the
locusts progress.
What
sickness must we endure?
What violence
of nature or man?
What
calamity must befall
To finally
know that,
When it is all over,
We will all be there
Side by side
Picking fallen seeds
From ravaged fields.
