Who protects them

Who protects them the wandering refugees searching for water and shelter waiting for the day of the return home Who protects them the hungry unfed in all the deserts jungles and towns and cities the world over Who protects them the exploited working hours upon hours in dust and poisons and darkness Who protects them the lonely isolated in prison or home or wandering Who protects them Who protects them the mothers worrying for their children waiting in their loneliness for the homecoming Who protects them the children aching for love Who protects them from fear from desolation Who protects them the women raped in war walking the sidewalks opening then receiving Who protects them the women loosing their sons and daughters to war disease famine Who protects them without their men racked by monthly pain birth pain love pain Who protects them our women who love us Who protects them the soldiers in fear killing or killed boy soldier girl soldier Who protects them the elderly starving for companionship for an ear that listens a place of usefulness respect and peace Who protects them



Who protects them the wealthy and powerful the pundits and politicians bankers lawyers Who protects them though they have all they need Who protects them they who also fear Who protects them their position their money mansions cars diamonds pools gardens Who protects them that conduct millions who direct manipulate and take who order killings Who protects them men of business believing organising risking trying loving hoping Who protects them the torturers the guards the captains Who protects them the pimps the dealers of arms drugs of women children of organs of unfit food and chemicals and death Who protects them the presidents and mayors and bosses the princesses the kings the dying bishop Who protects them

Who protects them the poets isolated in their frustration and folly Who protects them from madness desperation Who protects them from themselves from the extremes of drug and drink all excesses unto death Who protects them and gives them strength and inspiration fortitude insight and solutions

Who protects them in the madhouses the neurotic the psychotic the addict the drunk Who protects them the teens in trouble in rebellion they who challenge us be it vagabond or our best friend or best enemy Who protects them from medication isolation from the leather straps on the legs and arms from the needle and electroshock and from us Who protects them

Who protects them the innocent the children the only innocent Who protects them the cruelty the whip the TV the cock Who protects them from the dark and the nightmare from life Who protects them a love that demands that limits and bargains a love that wants instead of just is Who protects them in the schools left alone to compete to learn to hate to respect division rank class and privilege Who protects them the innocent in the night as they sleep and the earth shakes and destroys Who protects them

Who protects them the trees that give shade and beauty that hold the soil that breathe our life’s air Who protects them from the axe and bulldozer from the killing rain and heat Who protects them from profits and global business from the cow-eaters Who protects them from the tree-cutters who buy their daily bread bought with their destruction Who protects them from the readers of books and newspapers from the receipts bills tickets packaging ass-wiping window cleaning we the paper users Who protects them they whose disappearance will bring our final demise

Who protects the earth wrapped tied circled and divided by fences borders satellites missiles planes buildings bridges highways monuments cars trains tunnels ships mines farms pastures garbage and landfills Who protects her waters her air from us who take and never give even her wind we harness Who protects her eternal turning her circling her voyage her life a life bombed and burnt and dirtied to no end Who protects her sun also dying her moon ever faithful Who protects the earth


Who protects us those we love those we hate those we love to hate Who protects my friend my father and brother my brother of different colour Who protects my lover from my jealousy my pettiness my neediness Who protects my lover who gives what I need but not all I need Who protects those who make my bread and clean these streets who make the mines and bombs and bullets that destroy lives and limbs Who protects them who create death to earn their wages Who protects them who grow my food who it bring it to my city and Who protects those who build cities

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Who protects memory our history our one truth of one human effort Who protects the history of us all equally dying Who protects us born naked and dependent we who disappear in sadness Who protects our testaments our stories Who protects the memory of the lone man dying forgotten in his room Who protects the knowledge of the old ones grandmother grandfather Who protects those mountains who watch down over us without judging Who protects the stars who from afar are curious of us and give us mystery and desire Who protects the sky and heavens and the wind that moves all Who protects the birds and our brother animals insects and fishes Who protects that which we take into our bodies so that we may live

Who protects our creator

Who protects me