by Maureen Anne Browne

Something of the old way reborn:
the gentler art of higher thought sweeping
through China in sun-coloured clothes
like waves of golden corn—

ten thousand people following Falun Gong:
through simple moves and meditation
cultivating honesty, compassion, patience—
a moral community for all to belong.

A psychology without borders
promoting health of mind, body,
a balm for anger, yet communist cadres
hit back with the orders:

Falun Gong disciples to be taken
for re-education—shackled, sleep-starved,
beaten, tied down in stress positions,
kept in isolation, until their faith is shaken,

until they admit they were wrong,
sign The Paper saying they are willing
to transform, to renounce
the pernicious cult of Falun Gong,

or be tortured until they don’t survive
the electric shocks, the drug cocktails,
the smashed spines, the organs cut
out of them when they’re still alive.

A peaceful people, a sunrise
brightening our path, hunted down to death—
the show goes on, the flags of victory fly,
songs of celebration drowning out their cries.

* * *

 

Recognized as an Honorable Mention in FoFG’s 2024 Poetry Contest