by James A. Tweedie

They built the wall to keep the Mongols out,
Or so they say.
But tourism is what it’s all about,
At least today.

The newest walls in China have been built
To keep folk in.
Barbed wire and law turn innocence to guilt,
And faith to sin.

The Uighers, Christians, and the Falun Gong—
To their dismay—
Are singled out, condemned for being wrong,
And hauled away.

It seems that human rights do not exist
But for a few;
With justice gaveled by an iron fist-
ed kangaroo.

Perhaps some day (and soon) the CCP
Will self-destruct.
And when it does, the voice of history
Will say it sucked.

* * *

 

Recognized as an Honorable Mention in FoFG’s 2022 Poetry Contest