Civilized - Spoken Word Poem Poem by Atsiylah Atty Garfinkel

Civilized,
dignified,
wrapped up in historic lies.
How can a war be civil - when war is far from civilized?

brother killing brother
father versus mother
this is not civilized
there is no way to justifiy
the blood and pain as children cry.

War conventions
and your treaties
Only serve to prove us needing
of your attention
and intervention.

We fight these wars for others
the battles against lovers.
The acid rain falls down
and we poison the ground
yet lets fight for our neighbors lies
because man, we are civilized.

Is there no other way
no other price we can pay?
Must our youth die
for the sake of being civilized?

What makes us think we are civilized?

The way we rape our land
with eco sticker in hand?
The way we teach the youth
and deprive them of the truth?
The way we accept all we meet
as we throw them out on the street?
The might of our fearless gun
as kids kill each other for fun?

Brother father sister mother
I beg you stop us before we make another
person civilized.
Listening to lies,
Ignoring the widdows cries.
Lusting for victory's prize.
Cutting familial ties.
So we can pretend to be civilized.

Never dancing to the drum
never teaching our own young.
Eatting food that kills
bouncing checks to pay bills.
We will cut off our hair
and wear the clothes they tell us to wear.

We will deny our past
and learn all to fast
how to tell lies
as we become
civilized.

The elders cry
as the old ways die.
We don't know why
we would want to be
civilized.