THE NAMING

I cannot bear any more
The hurt
The sadness,
The fear.
Each restless, sleepless night;
The deep injustice seen
In your gentle eyes.
A life in such confusion;
The inhumanity shown
By those with a duty to ensure
The job was done right
With no harm to you.

‘What wrong did I do?’
No wrong my love.
No wrong, not you.
The fault was theirs.
The lies they told!
Ignored the rules
They knew you had known
So you had to go
To save their jobs
To save their face –
To maintain the illusion.

I always strove
To do no harm.
But I cannot hold back
And do nothing at all
While the love of my life
Must stand and take
Insults and attack
On his personality
On his integrity.
On his survivability.

Such misery
I turn back on to those again
Who were the cause.
‘We are better than that’
He said.
But I shake my head.
I don’t wish them dead -
But I wish them pain;
Let them die inside.
Let them feel our suffering
Feel the futility
The invisibility -
No work, lifestyle, hope or pride.

So - today I do the naming.
Transfer the hurt and shaming –
Today I do the ritual
Today I shall ensure that all
The pain shall fall on people who
Deserve to feel just as we do.
Strike the match and light the fire
Say the words and see the smoke rise higher..
See the paper writhe as it is flaming.
Today, I do the naming.