Buddha Witnessed The Killing Fields Poem by Thavaseelan Gopinathan

The sharks torpedoed my escape
The vultures volleyed fire on my hut
Shield was I for the animal
Bait was I for the beast.

No paths to run
No place to hide
For every inch of earth was mined

Classrooms were razed
Clinics were shelled
Flooded was the soil with streams of blood.

No mercy the animal deserved
Terror was he, feared no death,
Robbed was his honor even in death

Courage was in their veins
Violated were the fem-fatal
and so was the innocent femininity

Bullets knocked even the cubs
The beast had a merry day
Cannibals had a hearty feast.

Neither dharma prevailed
Nor truth triumphed
Innocent blood drowned the earth.

Shook hands with the beast
Blood soaked are my hands
And every faith aided the beast.

No mercy I seek thee from
No course I inflict thee on
For, Buddha witnessed the Killing Fields.