new internationalist
issue 316 - September 1999

Arguments Against the Bombing

consider the infinite fragility of an infant’s skull
how the bones lie soft and open
only time knitting them shut

consider a delicate porcelain bowl
how it crushes under a single blow
– in one moment whole years disappear

consider that beneath the din of explosions
no song can be heard
no cry

consider your own sky on fire
your name erased
your children’s lives “a price worth paying”

consider the faces you do not see
the eyes you refuse to meet
“collateral damage”

how in these words
the world cracks open

Poem by Lisa Suhair Majaj.
First published in Al Jadid, Winter 1998.
Illustration by Emily Johns

New Internationalist (NI) workers' co-operative exists to report on issues of world poverty and inequality; to focus attention on the unjust relationship between the powerful and the powerless worldwide; to debate and campaign for the radical changes necessary to meet the basic needs of all; and to bring to life the people, the ideas and the action in the fight for global justice.

Except where otherwise noted, images on this site are copyright of the photographer/illustrator or representative agency.
Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 License.