Shana Ross
Numbers 13:17
Well, Moses ain’t Jesus but
Here we are at the border
Tug of war
Fought over razor sharp scripture
Go on into the hill country and see
What kind of country is this
Are the people who dwell here
Strong or weak? Few or many?
Is the country good or bad?
Every gedanken was in vain. We asked ourselves
What we would have done in different times
A failure of imagination. It seems obvious,
When you watch Star Wars, the rebels are the good guys.
It’s a trap. Honest to god, these people
Think the Empire sounds great, no speck of irony.
You cannot underestimate the power of that darkness.
I bargain for my home.
For only ten good men, there must be something worth saving.
But Moses said: see.
What are the fortifications?
Walls speak louder than words.
Walls tell you whether the country is good or bad
Walls tell you whether a people are weak or strong
Something there is that does not love —
What we have now is children in cages.
One man cannot be reproached for fleeing
Do not look back do not look
I sacrifice much in the witnessing.
I cannot turn away.
Shana Ross is a poet and playwright with a BA and MBA from Yale University. Her writing career has been dormant for 18 years for reasons both practical and best discussed in therapy. This decade, her work has been published in Anapest Journal, SHANTIH Journal, and Writers Resist.
SUBMIT to What Rough Beast via our SUBMITTABLE site.