Whales

In the deep cold waters
Of the Bering Straits
The whales were swimming
Peacefully with their young ones
Their bodies arching gracefully
As they leap out of the waters
Splashing back thunderously
Throwing millions of spray drops
Into the air

The calm shatters
When the whalers came
With their harpoons loaded
Shooting them into the waters
Piercing the whales
Bloodying the waters
Dragging their bodies
Onto their boats
Hacking them

They tell the world
They do this
For whale research
But we do know
It is no more but
A yearn for whale meat

Cheating the young

There is a need
To be wary
Of pseudo-religious groups
Masquerading as civics organizations
Imposing their religious views
Of sexuality and contraception
On our impressionable schoolchildren

But they underestimated the young
Who came back furious
With their opinions on
How these groups attempted
To twist their minds
Instead of just giving them the plain facts

Ready to Leave

She lay in her hospital bed
On clean white sheets
Stirring left and right in pain
And discomfort
Tangles of tubes crisscross her body
Into her nose feeding her
Into her veins pumping her with drugs
Monitors with blinking lights
Keeping her going

She was old
Her body was aching
Her mind was drained
Her heart was beating tiredly
Her organs were straining
She had enough
She wanted to leave

But they kept her going
With their tubes and machines
It was their duty, they say
Regardless of her sufferings

It needs a heart to let go
When it is time
To let go
Not a brain
Rigid with its straight line of rules

At the emergency

At the emergency
They come crowding
With broken bodies
With broken bones
With broken minds
Seeking healing and solace

They huddle in corners
On plastic chairs
Some alone, sad
Some with kin in tow
Waiting for their turn
For healing and solace

The doctors, nurses
Scurry up and down
Left and right
Just another busy day for them
Providing healing and solace

Some are compassionate
Some hardly look at them
Talking through them
And poking them
Like mechanical objects to be put right

They came needing healing
They came needing solace
They came needing assurance
They came wanting to be put right
They are humans, simply