The Zapatista...

(Picture Source: Google)

Nothing To Lose

"We have nothing to lose, absolutely nothing..."
-- Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN)--
-- Declaration of the Lacandon Jungle, 1993--

There is nothing to lose,
. . . .absolutely nothing,
. . . . . . .everything is gone,
disappeared to some northern vault
. . . .guarded by greedy eyes
. . . . . . .that see no justice,
oppression
. . . .or the violence of deprivation,
there are no schools,
. . . .only classrooms of death
. . . . . . .where children learn how to die
from hunger
. . . .or some weak kneed germ,
there is no land,
. . . .only twisted rock
. . . . . . .squeezed beyond giving
and paper landscapes
. . . .of sterile promises,
there is no home,
. . . .only wood-slat masks
. . . . . . .to fool the wind,
who knows we've been raped
. . . .and lay vulnerable,
. . . . . . .legs open to the cold,
there is no work,
. . . .only free trade among the rich,
while our noses press against
. . . .corn stained windows
stuck tight
. . . .with dried blood of our Pueblo,
. . . . . . .our ancestors,
there is no justice,
. . . .court is closed,
the gavel smashes our heads,
. . . .our bones scream,
Basta - Basta - Basta,
. . . .they scream,
. . . . . . .we have nothing to lose.

By Phil Goldvarg 1995