Rip

A sideways glance

Was enough to see

Something to rip the heart

Right out of me

Even though this is normal

The new everyday

So common newspapers

Rather focus on who might be gay

The hard truth is

By now, it’s barely even news anymore

It’s all happened too many times before

And yet it is always different

When it happens close to home

Today there are people dying

Dying in cobbled streets I’ve walked

And there are people crying

People with whom I might’ve talked

My instinct is to scream:

“You’re not welcome here

This is my neighbourhood

I will have no war here!”

But then, that doesn’t help

And nor is it true

Because the whole world is my neighbourhood

We're all in this mess together

Whether it is Sweden or Syria

Whether they’re bleeding - or you

Here’s what I want to convey,

What’s on my heart to say,

And I don’t bloody care if it rhymes anymore:

I have no faith in complicated procedures

In military campaigns and angry speeches

In pointing fingers and declarations of hatred

I have faith in forgiveness and in grace

                           in inclusion

                           and tolerance

                           and equality

Let’s take responsibility for how we meet

          e v e r y    s i n g l e    o n e

Let’s stop inadvertently creating humans so desperate

They think that in order to be heard

They must rip peaceful places and people apart

They do not know what they are doing

And I don’t think they are more to blame than we