So Much Depends Upon

So Much Depends Upon
© Surazeus
2024 02 16

So much depends upon a wooden horse 
buried in rubble of the bombed-out house 
where voices of children echo in wind 
that clears black smoke away after sunset 
when flames have burned all their bodies to ash 
that settles on surface of clean new cars. 

So much depends upon a cracked guitar 
fallen behind the stage riddled with bullets 
where bodies that were dancing in the sun 
at the free-wheeling music festival 
now sleep without dreams in indifferent weeds 
that vibrate with songs no angels can sing. 

So much depends upon a tattered book 
half-burned by flames of arrogant disdain, 
lone survivor from library collection 
assembled by the scholar many years 
to preserve ancient folk songs of the desert 
that lament loss of family and home. 

So much depends upon a blurry photo 
sent by text message to all journalists 
that depicts young mother and her three children 
still alive somewhere in dark tunnel room 
along with demand for outrageous ransom, 
now pinned to the wall for two hundred days. 

So much depends upon an empty suitcase, 
abandoned on platform of the train station, 
that contains no clothes, books, or photographs 
preserving memories of some nameless people 
who fled the bright blast of exploding bombs 
which deconstructs rites of society. 

So much depends upon a new-washed dress 
flapping in a spring breeze on the clothes line 
beside charred ruins of the humble home 
where mother baked chicken and apple pie 
with hands that lie severed by the locked door 
which stands alone in sudden gust of rain. 

So much depends upon a baseball cap 
smeared with blood that tumbles on the sidewalk 
when crowd of panicking people escape 
spray of bullets fired by the young man 
angry at government conspiracies 
real only in delusion of his greatness. 

So much depends upon a mobile phone 
connecting billions of perceptive brains 
in global network of one human mind 
that argues over what is right and wrong 
to fight oppression of tyrants and kings 
so every soul lives by choice of free will.