A poem I scribbled into my notes yesterday as I watched Koang Puk, one of the students at Reconcile Peace Institute, respond to the following statement by Albie Sachs, “We will take soft vengeance on our oppressors. In our new nation, we will force our enemy to live on our terms – our terms are human rights.”
His eyes sparkle as he takes hold of hope.
A fire burns behind his face.
Ideals are stirring in a heart that aches for justice, healing, and grace.
Freedom’s cry rises within him.
May this fire not be quenched by the lash of a whip or the shadow of a cell
or the harsh, hollow thud of a baton beating, battering flesh.
May these ideals not break him – or break within him.
May they prove firm and not be abandoned.
