True sight

Wednesday, November 17, 1993 - 11:00

Hassan Shamsaei,
some, I'm told, call you
"The Blind Man of Baxter."
You've refused food since mid-November
but say you are not on a hunger strike.
You have not sought publicity.
Are you blind to the fear of death?
Is this what Australia has done to you?
You say that this is your escape route,
that you lost your hope, and then
you lost your appetite.
Your words ring in my ears:
"They can have my body,
I will try to take my soul."

You may not have the finest vision
but your perception of our indifference
is clearer than Senator Vanstone's.
She can't even see your humanity.

John Tomlinson

From Green Left Weekly, March 17, 2004.

Visit the Green Left Weekly home page.

From GLW issue 575