Voices Poem by H L Pham

Avenge us!
Avenge us!
Rumble the waves as they crash on a distant shore.
Who shall help us guiltless souls settling this bloody score
With demons masquerading as Thai sailors?
They, who once a year don saffron monk robes,
Like savage beasts they tormented us.
To deaf ears of Buddha, God or Allah
Our desperate cries pierced the distant sky.
Perhaps Justice is blind
And could not see our demises.
Tortured! Robbed! Raped! Slaughtered!
Left to die in the open sea!
Like animals we were treated
And like animals we died,
All of us, even those who had survived.
It is but Karma!
One religion teaches;
Heaven awaits the believers who suffered!
Another religion preaches;
What do they know of a Deity
Who always asks for obedience
And frequently gives punishment?
Were the Thai pirates obedient?
And we deserved harsh punishments?
Avenge us,
All who dare question God!
God who had forsaken us!
Avenge us!
Rumble the waves as they crash on a distant shore.