White Chrysanthemums -- No longer flavour of the month

em = By Willy Bach

Human Rights

In polystyrene

As we walked

In sombre file

Remember

Savage slaughter

Tienanmen

Just two years ago

And no-one wants

To know

Broken bodies

That don't count

On bottom lines

Human Rights

In polystyrene

As we placed

Joss sticks

At her feet

A gesture

Just as hollow

As our votes

For leaders

Who feign care

Supporting butchers

Everywhere

Doing business

With the bleeders

Of the sombre

Human Rights

In polystyrene

Just as fragile

As her statue

Ringed with candles

As they sang

For their exploiters

Comrades rot in jail

While we clear away

The flowers

The billions

Cannot vote

My own is worth

A second

On their clock

1st June 1991. Commemorating the second anniversary of the Tienanmen massacre, attending the demonstration by Chinese students and hearing a particularly nauseating speech from an ALP member of the Queensland parliament.

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