Hath September | Day 27 | …who will listen | Elizabeth Cunningham
September 27, 2012
…who will listen
the body politic once meant the king’s body
however corpulent, pock-marked or gout-ridden
now we are all considered part of this body
what if it is sick, can we agree on treatment
what if the body politic lacks insurance
what if it wants to terminate a pregnancy?
can the body politic decide a menu
will the meal be genetically modified
will it contain “all natural sugars” made from corn?
does the body politic have race or gender
has it ever entered itself illegally
can it register to vote, marry whom it will?
does the body politic know how to self-soothe
does it harbor addictions, sanctioned or proscribed
what does it think about when it wakes in the night?
can we call the body politic to account
does the left hand know what the right hand is doing
who will speak for the tired feet, who will listen?
-Elizabeth Cunningham, a fellow emeritus of the Black
Earth Institute, is best known for The Maeve Chronicles,
a series of award-winning novels featuring the feisty
Celtic Magdalen who is no one’s disciple.
Today is her birthday.
For more: www.elizabethcunninghamwrites.com
September 27, 2012 at 3:21 pm
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ELIZABETH! Such a wise poem that Asks Questions. For some reason I am reminded of Dylan’s “Blowing in the Wind” which is really just a poem of nine questions, and one elusive non-answer. Your poem is the updated version.