Gift of the Sun

Burn

Fade to black! Fade to black! Fade to black! --
The train is barreling down the track.
Fade to black! Fade to black! Fade to black! --
The train is barreling down the track.

She sleeps all day,
And she walks the night.
She's got bills to pay,
And she's not all right.
She'd love to change,
But she's got to get high.
She can't run away;
Can't stand and fight.
Burn!

Fade to black! Fade to black! Fade to black! --
The train is barreling down the track.
Fade to black! Fade to black! Fade to black! --
The train is barreling down the track.

The baby cries
And shits in rags.
With blackened eyes
And trembling hands,
Mommy gets high;
Daddy's on the lamb.
Nowhere to hide;
No kind of plan.
Burn!

Fade to black! Fade to black! Fade to black! --
The train is barreling down the track.
Fade to black! Fade to black! Fade to black! --
The train is barreling down the track.

Her face is scarred,
Scabs on her skin --
She's got no lucky stars;
No angel guardian.
Just needs twenty large
For another hit;
When it all goes dark,
Finally she can forget.
Burn!

Fade to black! Fade to black! Fade to black! --
The train is barreling down the track.
Fade to black! Fade to black! Fade to black! --
The train is barreling down the track.

Fade to black! Fade to black! Fade to black! --
The train is barreling down the track.
Fade to black! Fade to black! Fade to black! --
The train is barreling down the empty track.

Discordia

Child --

Child of the night --
It cuts like a knife!
Your soul is on fire;
Your body's for hire.

Walking through the mall,
Heather felt so small;
But someone made her big,
Like she wasn't a kid, wasn't a child --

Child of the night --
It cuts like a knife!
Your soul is on fire;
Your body's for hire.

Walking the streets,
Never know who you'll meet.
A man will pick you up,
And take you home to fuck you, a child --

Child of the night --
It cuts like a knife!
Your soul is on fire;
Your body's for hire.

Candy canes and hearts
From bearded men with scars.
Rough shakes, and fists,
And threats from a pimp to a child --

Child of the night --
It cuts like a knife!
Your soul is on fire;
Your body's for hire.

Child of the night,
Will you ever be all right?
Wave your childhood goodbye;
You'll always fear the night --

Never sleep without a light;
Never dream of sunshine,
Of green fields
Under a cloudless sky.

Abandoned and alone,
And so far from home.
Seduced by false romance,
She never had a chance to be a child --

Child of the night --
It cuts like a knife!
Your soul is on fire;
Your body's for hire.

Child of the night,
Will you ever be all right?
Wave your childhood goodbye;
You'll always fear the night --

Child of the night --
It cuts like a knife!
Your soul is on fire;
Your body's for hire.

Blood & Guts

Take a glance, take a glance,
Take a look -- don't stare --
See the stars in her eyes
And the wind in her hair;
Take a chance, take a chance,
Don't walk on by --
You'll never see another
Like her in your life.

She was blood and guts,
More than any of us;
She was young and thin --
Scattered iris in the wind;
She walked proud and straight
With a smile on her face,
Until she stepped on that mine
And in an instant pulverized.

We talked and we talked
And we danced that night,
Her hand in my hand
With her eyes so bright.
But the stars, as they faded
In the heavens above,
Gave way to a sky
That was red as blood.

She was blood and guts,
More than any of us;
She was young and thin --
Scattered iris in the wind;
She walked proud and straight
With a smile on her face,
Until she stepped on that mine
And in an instant pulverized.

She was on her way back home,
Through the fields were iris grow,
And we all heard in the valley below:
The blast and the fading echo.

Before the clouds had gathered
On the breaking dawn,
She kissed me on the cheek,
Then she was gone.
Like an angel with wings
Cross the fields she flew;
But I shivered when she left,
For a cold wind blew.

She was blood and guts,
More than any of us;
She was young and thin --
Scattered iris in the wind;
She walked proud and straight
With a smile on her face,
Until she stepped on that mine
And in an instant pulverized.

She was young and pure
And full of life,
With her lips and her tongue
And her smile and her eyes;
And a laugh so lovely
That the birds the sang
In the fields with the flowers,
And the church bells rang.

She was blood and guts,
More than any of us;
She was young and thin --
Scattered iris in the wind;
She walked proud and straight
With a smile on her face,
Until she stepped on that mine
And in an instant pulverized.

She was on her way back home,
Through the fields were iris grow,
Above the mines planted long ago:
She was reaped with the seeds your just war sowed.

Cup of Gold

Sailing to Jamaica south,
Bilge spewing from my nose and mouth,
Knuckles bleeding and my face is numb,
All I need -- another shot of rum.

O Captain! My Captain!
Captain Morgan -- oh, oh-oh-oh.

Sloshing to the fore and aft,
Gonna launch a sneak attack:
Shock and awe, me fine maties,
Searching for pirate booty.

O Captain! My Captain!
Captain Morgan -- oh, oh-oh-oh.

Nothing but revenge on my brain --
Rock you like a hurricane.
Choking down pretzels with rum,
Puking up on the constitution.

O Captain! My Captain!
Captain Morgan -- oh, oh-oh-oh.

O Captain! My Captain!
Captain Morgan -- oh, oh-oh-oh.

O Captain! My Captain!
Your mission accomplished nothing!
You were drinking with your rich friends;
Now our good ship is sinking!

O Captain! My Captain!
Captain Morgan -- oh, oh-oh-oh.

O Captain! My Captain!
Captain Morgan -- oh, oh-oh-oh.

No Child Left Behind

On the corner, they're selling rock,
And girls who'll do whatever you want.
Bang, bang: Cops and Thugs --
But little fingers don't shoot reals slugs.

Stepping over the cracks in the warm concrete;
Try to avoid the Bloods and MS-13.

In my book-bag half a kilo
Of red caps and brown crystal;
In my pants, my history report
On the Stamp Act and Admiralty Courts.

Stepping over the cracks in the warm concrete;
Try to avoid the Bloods and MS-13.

Just keep running,
Through allies, past the sullen
Pimps pushing the broken
Girls, who dropped out of
John J Pershing High.

One more corner; across the lot.
First period starts an nine o'clock.
Bell rings; get out of class.
Somehow try to find my way back.

Stepping over the cracks in the warm concrete;
Try to avoid the Bloods and MS-13.

Just keep running,
Through allies, past the sullen
Pimps pushing the broken
Girls, who dropped out of
John J Pershing High.

Just keep running,
Through allies, past the sullen
Pimps pushing the broken
Girls, who dropped out of
John J Pershing High.

Stepping over the cracks in the warm concrete;
Try to avoid the Bloods and MS-13.

Just keep running,
Through allies, past the sullen
Pimps pushing the broken
Girls, who dropped out of
John J Pershing High.

Just keep running,
Through allies, past the sullen
Pimps pushing the broken
Girls, who dropped out of
John J Pershing High.

Gift of the Sun

The sun shines so bright,
Giving heat, giving light;
But we hide from the day
And we walk through the night,
Carrying bags and bags
And rounds and guns --
And the gift, of the gift,
Of the gift of the sun.

Waiting for the patrol,
Like a condemned man's last smoke.
Finally we watch them roll,
Leaving the desert full of dust and gold.

The sun shines so bright,
Giving heat, giving light;
But we hide from the day
And we walk through the night,
Carrying bags and bags
And rounds and guns --
And the gift, of the gift,
Of the gift of the sun.

Trudging across the sand
For miles and miles of no-man's land.
Faces tough and tanned
From years of running 'cross the Rio Grande.

The sun shines so bright,
Giving heat, giving light;
But we hide from the day
And we walk through the night,
Carrying bags and bags
And rounds and guns --
And the gift, of the gift,
Of the gift of the sun.

Suddenly bullets ring --
Eating dust and wildly shooting.
Paco screams, he's bleeding --
Leave him lie and keep on fighting.

The sun shines so bright,
Giving heat, giving light;
But we hide from the day
And we walk through the night,
Carrying bags and bags
And rounds and guns --
And the gift, of the gift,
Of the gift of the sun.

O the sun shines so bright,
Giving heat, giving light;
But we hide from the day
And we walk through the night,
Carrying bags and bags
And rounds and guns --
And the gift, of the gift,
Of the gift of the sun.

O the sun shines so bright,
Giving heat, giving light;
But we hide from the day
And we walk through the night,
Carrying bags and bags
And rounds and guns --
And the gift, of the gift,
Of the gift of the sun.

Of the sun.

Hatchet Wound

I'm cute and I'm dumb and I'm physically weak --
The only thing impressive about me is my physique.
Don't ask for directions or where I'd like to eat;
I need a big strong man to take care of me.

I can't make a choice, but I don't live in China --
Someone else decides because I have a vagina.
The state knows my body better than I, kinda --
I'm not fit to choose because I have a vagina.

I can't be a cop or a lawyer or a judge --
Just a secretary who goes and types it up.
I can't be a doctor or a dentist -- just a nurse;
No one seeks treatment from someone with a purse.

I can't make a choice, but I don't live in China --
Someone else decides because I have a vagina.
The state knows my body better than I, kinda --
I'm not fit to choose because I have a vagina.

Now I'm pregnant but I don't have to choose --
A bunch of old white guys will tell me what to do.
I'm old enough to bear and raise a child --
But don't trust me with my own human rights.

I can't make a choice, but I don't live in China --
Someone else decides because I have a vagina.
The state knows my body better than I, kinda --
I'm not fit to choose because I have a vagina.

I can't make a choice, but I don't live in China --
Someone else decides because I have a vagina.
The state knows my body better than I, kinda --
I'm not fit to choose because I have a vagina.

Long Way Home

It's long way home, walk it every day.
It's long way home, a long way home.

It's long way home, walk it every day.
It's long way home, a long way home.

I worked the line
My whole life long;
Done everything right --
Worked proud and strong.
My hands and rough and gnarled,
Working my fingers bloody,
From building rugged cars
In this here factory.

It's long way home, walk it every day.
It's long way home, a long way home.

It's long way home, walk it every day.
It's long way home, a long way home.

The road is dirty,
Like the clothes I wear;
I've worked here thirty-
Five long hard years.
I've worked brutal hours
To put my kids through school;
But I couldn't be prouder
Of what I've built and hewed.

It's long way home, walk it every day.
It's long way home, a long way home.

It's long way home, walk it every day.
It's long way home, a long way home.

I work the night shift
At the factory;
We get the short shrift
From the bourgeoisie.
It's back breaking,
From dusk to dawn;
In bed I lie awake --
Will I get laid-off?

It's long way home, walk it every day.
It's long way home, a long way home.

It's long way home, walk it every day.
It's long way home, a long way home.

It's long way home, walk it every day.
It's long way home, a long way home.

It's long way home, walk it every day.
It's long way home, a long way home.

Remote Control

Oceans are full of islands,
Islands packed full of rotting souls.
And Heaven is where the dead go
To try to escape corporate mind control.

Sex and violence, sex and violence, sex and violence --
Remote control.
Sex and violence, sex and violence, sex and violence --
Remote control.

The prisons are full of victims,
Victimized by political lies.
And the cities are full of zombies,
Eating hearts the vampires long sucked dry.

Sex and violence, sex and violence, sex and violence --
Remote control.
Sex and violence, sex and violence, sex and violence --
Remote control.

The capitol is full of play-dough;
Cooking books, selling votes for lies.
And in the boardrooms, they point their fingers --
It's not us, no, it's the other guy.

Sex and violence, sex and violence, sex and violence --
Remote control.
Sex and violence, sex and violence, sex and violence --
Remote control --
Remote control --
Remote control.

Deadbeat

See you suffer, see you suffer!
See you suffer, punk motherfucker!
See you suffer, drunk in the gutter!
See you suffer, you deadbeat motherfucker!

He comes home drunk,
And swears to God;
He beats his wife,
He hates his job:
For fifteen years,
And no one cared,
And no one asked

About my scars,
And broken skin,
And spinning stars,
And blood on my chin.
How did it start?
And when will it end?
This pounding heart;
These tangled limbs.

Please leave him, Mom,
We can go tonight --
We can hide some place
He'll never find:
For fifteen years
And all the tears;
She could have died

From all those welts --
Her makeup won't hide --
From a heavy belt;
And the black eyes.
We lived in Hell,
For fifteen long years,
Under an evil spell
We loathed and we feared.

See you suffer, see you suffer!
See you suffer, punk motherfucker!
See you suffer, drunk in the gutter!
See you suffer, you deadbeat motherfucker!

Then one night,
I grabbed the lamp,
And when he swung,
I hit back:
For fifteen years,
I didn't dare;
The scars still raw --

They're full of hate:
Can't bury the past --
Won't go away,
In a pint or shot glass.
I see your face,
And it haunts me still;
In the heat of day,
Still shake from this chill.

See you suffer, see you suffer!
See you suffer, punk motherfucker!
See you suffer, drunk in the gutter!
See you suffer, you deadbeat motherfucker!

Brave New World

I'm tied to a chair: "Confess! or ...."
Slaps my face, "We know, we tapped your number!"
Grabs my throat, "You're a terrorist soldier --
Gonna spill your guts all over!"

It's all over the floor:
Vomit, blood, the horror!
The room tilts and whirls;
It's a brave new world!

And we believe everything we have heard.
And it's not wrong if you use the right words:
We're just enhanced interrogators.

I beg and I plead; I'm standing.
They won't let me sleep; seeing phantoms.
My hands and my feet: bloodied, numb.
I cry and I weep -- done nothing!

It's all over the floor:
Vomit, blood, the horror!
The room tilts and whirls;
It's a brave new world!

And we believe everything we have heard.
'Cause we're different, we don't torture:
We're just enhanced interrogators.

Shivering, cold, wet, and naked,
My humanity has been taken.
My rights, your ideals, forsaken;
Seems so sure, but you're mistaken!

It's all over the floor:
Vomit, blood, the horror!
The room tilts and whirls;
It's a brave new world!

And we believe everything we have heard.
Don't you worry -- it's not your concern:
We're just enhanced interrogators.

It's all over the floor:
Vomit, blood, the horror!
The room tilts and whirls;
It's a brave new song --

You know in well!
You beat your drums and your cracked Liberty Bell.
And you'll follow it to the gates of Hell;
But someday it will be you in this cell.

A Hundred Lives

Twisted hearts and tangled minds
And shards of steel still trapped inside;
In the sand a soldier lies,
His chest hollow -- just close his eyes.
'Cause when he sleeps he dreams of fire --
His screams shatter the lonely night.
Where can he go to forget the sight
Of a bleeding friend about to die? --

The death of a hundred lives:
Grab your rifle -- don't think about those sights;
Don't ask why -- every day you're still alive --
Just keep fighting to make it through the night.

And when he's home his heart still pounds;
The sun still hides behind the clouds.
The blood and screams won't fade away;
His heart is tin, his feet are clay.
He tries to find another job --
The one he had before, he lost.
They needed someone, says his boss,
Who would be there when you were dying

The death of a hundred lives:
Grab your rifle -- don't think about those sights;
Don't ask why -- every day you're still alive --
Just keep fighting to make it through the night.

His wife and kids don't recognize
The man they see before their eyes.
"Daddy, when will you be all right?"
Try to forget, but you keep on dying

The death of a hundred lives:
Grab your rifle -- don't think about those sights;
Don't ask why -- every day you're still alive --
Just keep fighting to make it through the night.

You keep on dying the death of a hundred lives:
Grab your rifle -- don't think about those sights;
Don't ask why -- every day you're still alive --
Just keep fighting to make it through the night --

A hundred times.

Mikey

Junkie shoots up;
Once more is never enough.
Break in to cars and vans --
Grab and sell whatever you can.

When will we be free Mikey?
When will we be free Mikey?
When will we be free Mikey?
When will we be free Mikey?

His mom does her hair;
Haven't spoken in years and years.
Takes her tea with rum;
Tells her friends "I don't have a son."

When will we be free Mikey?
When will we be free Mikey?
When will we be free Mikey?
When will we be free Mikey?

Motel, on the side,
With a woman who's not his wife.
The bed thumps and groans;
His kids are waiting at home.

When will we be free Mikey?
When will we be free Mikey?
When will we be free Mikey?
When will we be free Mikey?

Daughter wears black;
The other girls tell her she's fat.
Dreams of that first kiss --
Then she thinks of slitting her wrists.

When will we be free Mikey?
When will we be free Mikey?
When will we be free Mikey?
When will we be free Mikey?

Gambling at the track;
Little luck to pay Sal back.
Triple, long shot:
Try to win back the house he's lost.

When will we be free Mikey?
When will we be free Mikey?
When will we be free Mikey?
When will we be free Mikey?

Wife wants that big new car,
And all the shoes that she can charge;
Driving past the shelter,
She needs all that and more.

When will we be free Mikey?
When will we be free Mikey?
When will we be free Mikey?
When will we be free Mikey?

When will we be free Mikey?
When will we be free Mikey?
When will we be free Mikey?
When will we be free Mikey?

Freedom is Slavery

Watching and waiting;
Even pigs won't eat bacon.
A petty dictator;
I'll deal with you later.

We're looking for traitors --
Please present your papers.
If you've nothing to hide,
Then why won't you comply?

Sitting at the station
In quiet desperation;
A man enters the train door
And asks for my papers.

We're looking for traitors --
Please present your papers.
If you've nothing to hide,
Then why won't you comply?

I sit straight, I don't move,
I don't know what to do.
He shouts and he makes threats --
My hands shake and palms sweat.

We're looking for traitors --
Please present your papers.
If you've nothing to hide,
You don't need to ask why.

His goons drag me outside,
But they won't tell me why.
The crowd points and stares,
Glad it's me and not them there.

We're looking for traitors --
Please present your papers.
If you've nothing to hide,
You don't need to ask why.

We're looking for traitors --
Please present your papers.
If you've nothing to hide,
Then why won't you comply?

Malibu Dream House

A child is born;
A crib next door.
TV -- come round --
Watch the lights and sounds.

Not our home!
Can't pay up --
Broken loan;
Repo truck.
Our childhood,
Our school years,
Our bright hopes,
Our dark fears!

Warm in the kitchen;
Gramps and Gram eating.
Thunder! Mom says,
"Sleep in our bed."

Not our home!
Can't pay up --
Broken loan;
Repo truck.
Our childhood,
Our school years,
Our bright hopes,
Our dark fears!

Play catch with dad,
Left-handed, for laughs.
New dolls, patio,
Drinking tea with scones.

Not our home!
Can't pay up --
Broken loan;
Repo truck.
Our childhood,
Our school years,
Our bright hopes,
Our dark fears!

We live in a trailer with our aunt and uncle.
There's not enough room for all these people.
I want my old room with my old toys and dolls.
I don't wanna watch Mom and Dad fight and bawl.

Tree house, backyard;
Steak and burgers, charred.
Car keys, pep squad --
Back through the garage.

Not our home!
Can't pay up --
Broken loan;
Repo truck.
Our childhood,
Our school years,
Our bright hopes,
Our dark fears!

The warm rooms,
The cold floors,
Our best friends
From next door!
The bank says
They own it --
Can't live here --
That's bullshit!

Garbage Buffet

Live on a dump;
Trash dive for crumbs.
What was your junk,
We eat for lunch:

Cranberries, and chick peas,
Anchovies, raw turkey,
Pork and beans, old sardines,
Collard greens, tangerines.

Piles of styrofoam
Make our garbage home.
No place to go --
Your trash is all we own:

Slice of ham, bits of lamb,
Boiled clam, toast and jam,
Old pork roast, cantaloupe,
Bar of soap -- lost all hope.

Can't just run away --
No where to go, no living wage.
We fight the dogs, mongrels, the strays,
Looking for a garbage buffet.
Is there some hope in this sewage lake --
A life raft to a better place?
Or will we, like the dogs we spar,
Live and die in this junkyard?

My special find:
A watermelon rind.
In this trash pile,
What's yours is mine:

Cookie dough, avocado,
Tomato, potatoes,
Dry ketchup, cough syrup,
Brown lettuce -- please help us.

Your spinach and cabbage,
Your old rags and garbage,
Our village of sewage --
How can you let us live like this?

Duke of Earl

Dreaming at my empty desk
Of her smile, her hair, her soft breasts.
My heart is marching to the beat
Of a clock circling round to three.
The seconds drag by much to slow;
I need my daily cup of joe.
I need that pretty smile and glance --
She drops change into my hands.
    What did I say?
    Nothing again today.

Standing in line watching her;
She flirts with the next customer.
The man responds to her bright smile;
She says, "I know -- tall chai tea, right?"
He shakes his head, she tries again,
Brow crinkling, try to comprehend.
Her lips in despair start to twist;
All I can think of is:
    Kissing her --
    Glory of this world.

I come through her door every single day,
To order a drink that's exactly the same;
So lovely, her lips and her smile and her face;
But she never remembers I drink Earl Grey.

She rings up the schmuck in front of me,
He tries to joke; it's not funny.
She smiles at the effort anyway;
I practice what I'm going to say.
He fumbles with the change he tips --
I don't think he wanted that tall drip.
But what was he supposed to say,
When she already had it made?
    I would drink it up;
    My one, true, and only love.

I come through her door every single day,
To order a drink that's exactly the same;
So lovely, her lips and her smile and her face;
But she never remembers I drink Earl Grey.

Behind the counter, dimpled cheeks,
She turns her head and smiles to me,
"Mocha frappuccino, venti?"
What the hell is wrong with her memory?
I always get the same damn drink,
So what could she possibly think?
She's so cute, nice, and super sweet --
But it's the same every week.
    I'm in love with her --
    But why can't she remember?

I come through her door every single day,
To order a drink that's exactly the same;
So lovely, her lips and her smile and her face;
But she never remembers I drink Earl Grey.

The Goat Sucker

I walk along the canyon road --
I stumble on a pile of bones.
From above, I hear a thud;
I turn my head, but don't see it.
I hurry on -- it's been too long;
What will I find? -- it's in my mind.
I hear a howl -- it's much too loud --
I start to run -- I'm going numb.

There's a beast, there's a beast,
There's a beast in Texas that wants your blood.
There's a beast, there's a beast,
There's a beast in Mexico that wants your blood.

I slow down, to catch my breath --
That's when I smell the stench of death.
I hear a growl, from behind --
I'm turning white, I'm going blind.

There's a beast, there's a beast,
There's a beast in Arizona that wants your blood.
There's a beast, there's a beast,
There's a beast in Puerto Rico that wants your blood.

It wants your blood,
It needs your blood --
Gonna get your blood!

It wants your blood,
It needs your blood --
Gonna get your blood!

It's getting dark, I'm all alone --
And from the sight, my blood runs cold:
It's eyes are red, red as blood,
Like burning ash in a lava flood.
Its teeth are long; its fangs are sharp --
I try to quiet my beating heart.
It smiles at me, like a fiend --
I hear a sound -- a human scream.

There's a beast, there's a beast,
There's a beast in New Mexico that wants your blood.
There's a beast, there's a beast,
There's a beast in Columbia that wants your blood.

It crouches down, its scales tense --
Is this how my world ends?
With a hiss, and screeching sound --
So terrible -- it starts to pounce.

There's a beast, there's a beast,
There's a beast in California that wants your blood.
There's a beast, there's a beast,
There's a beast in Guatemala that wants your blood.

It wants your blood,
It needs your blood --
Gonna get your blood!

It wants your blood,
It needs your blood --
Gonna get your blood!

Goat sucker,
Goat sucker -- motherfucker! --
Gonna drink your blood!

Black Hole

Ool Ti', why so lonely?
Wolverine, wolf, and grizzly --
All are still here around you;
All you miss is the fattening caribou.

ANWR -- drill here, drill now;
Retarding caribou breeding grounds.
North Slope -- America's cash cow;
Black Hole -- everything dies out.

Beaver, where is that dam you built?
Knocked down so the oil man can drill.
Ool Ti' asks the wolf, his friend,
"Will we eat shit like the raven?"

ANWR -- drill here, drill now;
Retarding caribou breeding grounds.
North Slope -- America's cash cow;
Black Hole -- everything dies out.

Sedna, where is the bow whale?
Send a storm to blow him our way.
Ool Ti' pines for seal meat,
But everything from the bay is oily.

ANWR -- drill here, drill now;
Retarding caribou breeding grounds.
North Slope -- America's cash cow;
Black Hole -- everything dies out.

Brother bear -- what have we done?
There's no where left for you to hunt.
ANWR -- the last wild place on earth;
Can't charge for what that is worth.

Ool Ti', where have you gone?
Hunting caribou on the fresh dawn.
But you find no tracks in the cold frost;
Everything you ever knew you lost.

ANWR -- drill here, drill now;
Retarding caribou breeding grounds.
North Slope -- America's cash cow;
Black Hole -- everything dies out.

Brother bear -- what have we done?
There's no where left for you to hunt.
ANWR -- the last wild place on earth;
Can't charge for what that is worth.

ANWR -- drill here, drill now;
Retarding caribou breeding grounds.
North Slope -- America's cash cow;
Black Hole -- everything dies out.

Postcards

She sweeps the floor
Of mud, of dirt;
Like her heart:
Well worn, full of hurt.
Aisha runs in,
"Mommy, mommy!
Look what Sule did!"

Bony fingers
Sweep through her hair;
The taste of blood --
Pangs of pain and fear.
The Lady Dressed in White --
Away! Away! --
She comes again tonight.

Mommy's ill;
Where's my pills?
Ignorance kills.

Sub-Saharan AIDS
Holiday!
Postcards from the grave --
Look now, don't turn away!

Out of the jungle,
Over the plains,
The child returns
To pillage and to rape.
His sisters Famine --
Away! Away! --
Hate and Sadness.

In the buildings,
The places men meet,
They fight! They shout!:
"The bitch belongs to me!"
In her little village,
Wailing, gnashing,
Aisha's eyes are red.

Mommy, no!
Please don't go!
Where's the hope?

Sub-Saharan AIDS
Holiday!
Postcards from the grave --
Look now, don't turn away!

She lies in
A bed of grass, and
There are flowers,
White, gold tangled in her hair.
Aisha sits and
Waits for
Mommy to get up.

But only
Stillness is there;
Will it be the same
For the children she bears?
Will they take her a slave --
Away! Away! --
Beaten and raped?

It's not too late;
It's not our fate --
There is a way.

Sub-Saharan AIDS
Holiday!
Postcards from the grave --
Look now, don't turn away!

Sub-Saharan AIDS
Holiday!
Postcards from the grave --
Look now, don't turn away!

Sub-Saharan AIDS
Holiday!
Postcards from the grave --
Look now, don't turn away!

Sub-Saharan AIDS
Holiday!
Postcards from the grave --
Look now, don't turn away!