Unforgivable
Unforgivable
There was nothing I could do
Except swallow the guilty mouthful
Taken from their bowl of rice
And chew upon the gristle
Of my add hot water pot noodle
Couldn’t stop the ice clinking
In the glass of my extra chilled white wine
Couldn’t stop me eating
In my clinging to my life
No I couldn’t stop their hunger
Or wipe away their tears
As they picked and ate the peeling paint
From the sides of oil drums
No way to stop the sun
From drying to brittle leaves
No way to halt the madness
Of other peoples greed
Nothing I could do but quench my thirst
And dine with the ugly flies
Clinging around the brown babies eyes
Nothing I could do
But feel my muscles work
Feel the nourishment of bone
While they live as human skeletons
All I could do was sit there
And apologise for the world
All I could do was sit there
And respectfully eat my meal
Adding too much salt so it mingled with my tears
Adding too much mustard
So the food went burning down my throat
I could do nothing else
Except apologise for myself
Sorry for being born in my wealthy world
Sorry for my country
For not rushing to your need
Sorry for my government
My vote helped to bring them in
Sorry for the United Nations
Who’s squabbling leaves you starving
Sorry they did not stop the war
That turned you into refugees
And all the weeping mothers
Their desperation in their eyes
Their children no more than rag dolls
Limply hanging from their arms
Their little bloated bodies
Going to join the others
On the lime dusted piles
All I could do was sit there
And apologise for the world
All I could do was sit there
And say sorry for myself
Sorry for being born in my wealthy world
Each and every mouthful
Was swallowed with a choke
But all I could do was sit there
And respectfully eat my meal
written for Christie Moses and Sharon Weimer's competition "I'm Sorry"
Copyright © Colin Mitchell Williams | Year Posted 2009
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