“A Mothers’ March” - Poem by Eusi Kwayana

It is North and it is South

The Global Women’s strike

The Mothers’ march

March twelve, twenty one-one
 

This is not a poem: it is a salute

to the world’s Women and the Mothers among them.

In my native Guyana I would be in their ranks

With a few other men

Like the manly Payday Brothers of Ingland “the Bitch”

That once saw a strong woman as a witch.
 

Where is your hand ?

Salute the world’s women

Taking a stand against the world’s mayhem

Unleashed by sickly men

Who rule the war-waging world

Today

In England, Guyana, Haiti, India, Italy, Peru, Poland, US, 

Venezuela.

Will grow electronic winds to waft their

Lovely, lifted voices through the wild social spaces
 

In Congo where men in uniform

Rape routinely;

In the land of the Afghans

Where it is terror versus terror;

In Pakistan

Where it is hazardous

To be civilian

Mothers!

Babies you bring to life and bring to Youth

Are bred as war mechanics

To kill others borne by other Mothers like their own

Kill with clean hands through smart, blind innocent instruments
 

That keep corporations viable with bottom lines

That spark orgasms on the stock exchanges
 

In the rich countries the war on poverty is over

And in its place, no armistice, no peace

Instead another war against the poor is raging

with fierce and focused fury

Everywhere dealing blows in detail
 

Mothers of our Race,

Claim their distinguished place

And the women leading the Global women’s march

Chant their beautiful Grammy -worthy song
 

For the world to live with just a chance of being human

and being civilized

Away with war whatever uniform it wears
 

Away with preludes, alibis to war

like inequality of gender and of race

Of region, tribe and doctrine

The children and all offspring of our bloods are crying

Caring, Not killing

Caring, Not killing! Caring, Not killing
 

And let the chorus- chant give power to the Mothers

Of the Middle East

And to the Midwest

In Guyana, in Venezuela, in Kemet nicknamed Egypt

No turning back.

eusi