Fatwas In Aspic

An insect,preserved in amber, Frozen at one point in time, Never changing,always the same, Trapped in death Through an accident of place, It has its grim beauty, It pays the price. A new born baby Swaddled in its family's clothes, Comfortable and unquestioning It grows. Nature provides crucial moments When it can break free To broaden its outlook and horizons. It is fear that drives it deeper Into the arms of its alma mater, Where it chokes by culture confined Where it drowns by doctrine defined. Only a few ever try to break the bonds To be hunted as heretics While the rest bay obediently for their blood. Socrates and Christ were of that ilk And they perished in a blind fog of prejudice As they strove to challenge The myopia created by fear and power. Shi'ites,Kurds and Sunnis today, Bound by rigidities of code Forged by pride,hatred and fear, Are now on that road Where the only destiny is death Clashing over their myopic interests, Blind to the others' sameness. If we could just cross boundaries, If we would tear down our taboos, We might yet recognise that we are licensed to live On one planet,under one sky,with the one God. If only we could tear ourselves free From the fatal amber in our lives.