that line

Posted on September 7, 2012 by Susan L Daniels

if there is
a line between free speech
& treason

between change
& revolution

between assembly
& rioting

it is fine
it is dark
& it is drawn

in blood

the problem is
it takes death

to tell the difference

About Susan L Daniels

I am a firm believer that politics are personal, that faith is expressed through action, and that life is something that must be loved and lived authentically--or why bother with any of it?
This entry was posted in New Free Verse and tagged , . Bookmark the permalink.

19 Responses to that line

  1. Audrey Howitt says:
    September 7, 2012 at 8:46 pm

    Unfortunately I think you are right –maybe not all the time–but sometimes is enough

    • Susan L Daniels says:
      September 7, 2012 at 8:49 pm

      Sad, very sad. This came as a response to some things lately politically. Hope we don’t cross that line in all the mudslinging going back and forth. Oh–and thanks for liking my FB page, too!

  2. AshiAkira says:
    September 7, 2012 at 8:58 pm

    I’ve read this poem over and over, wishing there is a way to let it be read by the people I want to read it and understand.

  3. Mama Zen says:
    September 7, 2012 at 10:00 pm

    Oh, this is powerful!

  4. Jeremy Nathan Marks says:
    September 7, 2012 at 10:01 pm

    Or jail.

    • Susan L Daniels says:
      September 7, 2012 at 11:03 pm

      Jeremy–agreed. For months we have been listening to people threatening armed revolt if BO is reelected, or secession; and now we have a 16-year-old suggesting someone shoot him, and somehow this falls under free speech? So, my thought was what is the difference between free speech and treason? A bullet actually fired?

  5. davidtrudel says:
    September 8, 2012 at 1:16 am

    This line wasn’t drawn yesterday or today
    This line goes way back
    Straight through my heart
    This line is as red as the blood that
    Stained Jackie’s tailored suit
    In the shadow of the grassy knoll
    This line hangs as heavy
    As the rope that bore such
    Strange and bitter fruit
    This line is the scar on Gabby Giffords’ scalp
    This line is the tear falling
    Down a mother’s cheek
    This line is hot with rage and fury
    This line was uttered in Ford’s Theatre
    As theatrically as ever
    This line is the sting of the whip
    This line is the manacle that holds you in place
    This line is drawn tight
    Tight as a bow whose arrow
    Will take flight
    On a straight line to death
    This line underscores the tally
    Of the lost
    This line spits hot lead
    Randomly
    In chaos
    This line kills
    This line is not a drawing
    It’s a pathway to oblivion
    And everlasting dark

    David Trudel © 2012

  6. Green Speck says:
    September 8, 2012 at 7:47 am

    “it takes death

    to tell the difference” – this is so very true. Dark and deep!!!

  7. nelle says:
    September 8, 2012 at 8:35 am

    So true… when wish becomes fanaticism and inroads become revenge, stand back. Oppressed can easily become oppressor.

  8. I HAVE A VOICE says:
    September 8, 2012 at 8:52 pm

    there are so many kinds and dimensions of living and dying.

Comments are closed.