by Remy Dambron

I am not an individual, I’m not a cult or a religion,
I’m not a social disrupter, I don’t engage in superstition.
I’m not an evil spirit, I’m not a terrorist or a criminal,
Yet the denigration that I’m facing is disturbingly unthinkable.
I’m a victim of persecution, the result of powerful hate,
The CCP is on patrol to execute a vile mandate.
Hundreds of thousands of targets, tens of thousands hit,
An unconfirmed number of murders; thousands of families split.
The government in secrecy, is betraying the people’s trust,
They came for me at work, with electric batons and cuffs.
An officer’s hand over my mouth, to silence my cries for justice,
While his partner only complemented his brutality with roughness.
A swift blow to my stomach, his fingers grasped my neck,
As they dragged me to their vehicle, unhindered and unchecked.
They told my family I had an illness, but that it was being treated,
While imprisoned and enslaved, my human rights are further cheated.
They force me to do things I can’t bring myself to describe,
Combined with ancient torture, I’m surprised I’m still alive.
Months of physical labor, days with nothing to eat,
The deprivation so intense, my heart has slowed its beat.
I sleep for only minutes but the afflictions last for hours,
They scorch my skin with fire, then follow with freezing showers.
Violated and demoralized, my hands raw to the bone,
It’s been at least three years that this dark place has been my home.
Cut off from civilization, my world’s been sickly distorted,
How could such widespread abuse be so under-reported?
The nation thrives on exports produced by political prisoners,
While corrupt officials benefit from their concealed particulars.
I feel my weakness growing, my tenacity’s slowly fading,
The constant lack of social order is intoxicating.
Investigate the genocide and inhumane public policies,
Expose the Chinese government for condoning these atrocities.
I will decline to sign their documents, I will refuse to give them names,
May my martyrdom prevent others from ending up in these chains.
They can seize my body but my mind they can’t control,
They can harvest my living organs but they will never own my soul.
Regardless of your creed or the color of your skin,
I am pure, I am present, I am a force that lives within.
Achieving equilibrium through the spirit of practicing people,
I am Falun Gong, I am loving – I am peaceful.

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Recognized as an Honorable Mention in the adult category of FoFG’s 2018 Poetry Contest

Remy Dambron is a former English teacher in California, who has taken time off to write.