The Voice of Your Brother's Blood
        Copyright c 2006 John Trubee


         More than once
         I have awoken from a nightmare
         In which I am privy to a murder
         I witnessed
         I know where the body's buried
         I wander dreamland spooked and paranoid
         Certain I will be tried and punished
         An accessory to murder.

         Collective guilt envelopes us all
            and troubles my sleep

         The meaning of the Genesis story
          of Cain killing Abel
          is not indictment for an actual murder
          but the sense that as human beings
          as hyper-aware animals
          with the ability to empathize with other human beings
          we are each and collectively responsible
          for all other human beings on earth.

          When my philosophy teacher in prep school
           said that Sartre said
           we are all responsible for each other
           I thought it was a stretch

           But now I believe otherwise
           My marrow informs me so
           It is intuitive, not intellectual
           My troubled sleep tells me so

           When we invaded Iraq
           I thought it'd be cool to smack down Sadam
           I hate dictators 

           But I soon hated the war
           We were misled
           We are absolutely responsible for allowing ourselves
                 to be misled

           We war because we are depraved and we love blood
           but we will not admit it to ourselves

           The blood of dead Iraqi children covers my hands
           Covers your hands
           Covers everybody's hands
            We wallow in bloodbaths
            Even while we shop and socialize and squander our days
            in vain trivialities.

           We are all murderers
           My marrow informs me so
           It is intuitive, not intellectual
           My troubled sleep tells me so

           "The voice of your brother's blood
               is crying to me from the ground."