Least We Forget

They will not forget to this they swear neither will we ever get near the end of hearing of it all, I fear So it's with the dedication Of a sinner to prayer that they dole out their perceived just deserts Fists thrust up to the skies feet stomping in defiance they honour their grief "WE WIL NOT FORGET WE WILL NOT FORGET ...." Indulging their right to privilege Least we forget we are just the supporting cast And so we fall back dutifully biting our tongues back An unwilling audience As they rant and rave in outraged entitlement The echo of our silence rings loud and clear to announce our cheerful endorsement, drowning out the flimsy whispers of protests rousing from the depths of our down trodden souls Where our own grief lies in a state of woeful neglect Forgotten like the fabled black poppies "WE WILL NOT FORGET WE WILL NOT FORGET ......." Prised my clenched teeth apart then dumped a spoonful of it straight into my heart, like it was a much needed life saving tincture While I continued to scour the dirt for sustenance, barely keeping afloat in that huge sea of disparity Grief a luxury I could never afford "WE WILL NOT FORGET WE WILL NOT FORGET...!!!!" Rammed down our throats As if they held proprietary rights over grief, while the rest of us only serve as a backdrop To validate their fragile egos Till night falls and with stealth We steal away, souls finally unyoke Under the safety of the dark we turn inward to lick our wounds Look onto the source for restoration give a bow to the ones who swirl eternally in the dark belly of the bottomless seas entangled in the seaweeds, chained limbs and all, now forgotten the ones whose blood watered foreign lands just for another's pillage and plunder, unsung heroes, footprints long swept away by the winds of time Their spirits have since been denied the tribal rites of passage home Their names are only whispered by the howling gales and the ferocious typhoons, even then only when the storm peaks Was it not your souls that put this fire in our bellies? Are you not the root of our resilience? You that are our source of hope Though I have no worldly banners to hoist nor a gavel to crack in your honour My heart remains your monument Engraved with the sweet offering of your self sacrifice back then Everytime I breathe you are alive Your blood inflames my veins Your strength powers my loins Bone marrow to my bones Your wisdom guides my feet As I dance to the master's false tune Your gentle spirit soothes my aching soul I now know you need no validation And that is enough to see me through the rise and fall of my chest a trusty reminder, least I forget