A fury of kindness

The world shatters around you,
pieces of your home flying by, shredding your mind.
Assumptions of safety are no longer valid
— you do not know when it is your turn to be torn in public.
Cruelty reigns unquestioned
and empathy is discarded as weakness.

It is when you’re nothing but ash
must you yet become the stubborn light.
A fury of kindness.
A shield and shelter to someone who has even less.

Our bodies broken, our minds vexed,
we are yet a wall of pure will.
Death will not stop the bright hope of human dignity.
Time itself stands as judge and companion
to the oppressor and the defiant alike.

.

What is the value of a person who has nothing left but their humanity?

Your answer will judge you, not them.

There is no wrong side of a border
— because there are no borders except those in our minds,
locking ourselves beneath illusions of what they call ‘wealth’.
Greed is the only border we shall assail.
A matter of a single night of collective clarity,
when we but realize that us vs them is a question of
eight billion vs a few thousand.

Your power is staggering
against this feeble onslaught,
which may kill you but not defeat you.

.

There is a small circle of beauty around me
and, outside, desolation.
Stubborn blossoms grow within
that are stronger than the storm outside.

Melih Sener