There is not always blood
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There is not always blood

debasis

There is not always blood

(This poem is deeply inspired by an artwork with the same title by Sonja Benskin Mesher (artist and poet from Wales, UK) published a few days ago in I am not a silent poet. 01-there-is-not-always-blood

The piece is also indebted to a poem of Jacques Prevert called L‘orgue de barbarie/Barrel organ for its use of barrel organ.)

There is not always blood

They played barrel organ in Paris
Blood on the shirt from that night
You all stand good-side-up
A voice against
The night that plays knife
Barrel organ in Paris
Can’t enslave our minds
There will be always blood

I don’t want to talk to you about Garissa
Nobody in town knows what it is
Even Garissa makes mistake her name for a crushed bird
Let go
I don’t want to talk to you about Beirut
If deaths are stacking up on that horizon
Let go
The land never turns just enough flat
Or else you could see the bodies do bleed in the streets of Beirut
Let go
There is not always blood

If the bruised streets of Paris
Keep calling to your mind
Just tell the wind
The blood has never dried up

***

Thank you.

Published by debasis

Debasis Mukhopadhyay is a poet from Montreal, Canada. His poems have appeared or are forthcoming in journals & anthologies, including Posit, The Curly Mind (UK), Erbacce (UK), Manneqüin.Haüs, Yellow Chair Review, I Am Not A Silent Poet (UK), The New Verse News, Writers Against Prejudice (UK), Rat’s Ass Review : Love & Ensuing Madness, Algebra of Owls, Of/With, Walking Is Still Honest, Leaving My Shadow : A Tribute to Anna Akhmatova, Thirteen Myna Birds, Whale Road Review, Scarlet Leaf Review, Silver Birch Press, The Bitchin’ Kitsch, Revolution John, Down in the Dirt, With Painted Words (UK), The Wagon Magazine, Apple Fruits of an Old Oak, Voice of Monarch Butterflies, etc. His work has been nominated for the Best of the Net. He can be contacted at debmukhop@yahoo.ca or @dbasis_m on Twitter.

15 thoughts on “There is not always blood”

  3. Making the horror bearable, Sonja. I was comforted somehow by your poem. Amongst the very obvious responses to Paris it was considered and civilised and mysterious also which is how a poem should be.

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  4. Apart from appreciation of fine poetry day.. and that was another inspiring piece – I have a message today, and I truly hope that you can contribute.

    We have 140 contributions to date, and I am trying again to rope in as many contributors to the Poets for Peace challenge (in place until this the end of August). The many voices in response to this have been fantastic, and I’d love you to add yours (again, if applicable) if you can. Feel free to use an existing piece of writing or a new one asking for peace and/or about the troubled times in which we live.

    If you are interested, please leave your poem in the comments section of Neha’s blog and it will be added. https://forgottenmeadows.wordpress.com/2016/07/16/calling-all-poetscreative-minds-to-a-grand-collaboration-poets-for-peace/comment-page-5/#comment-19287

    Thank you –
    Your voice matters.

    ‘We are so grateful to be part of this community where poets and creative minds from around the world stand together uniting for PEACE! This collaboration is open till August 31st and we hope to see more of you join in!’
    – Neha

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    1. Thanks a ton Anita. I am honored. Do you think any particular poem published on my site fits to your peace anthology? In that case, I would be glad to contribute. I’m afraid we don’t have much time in hand for a new one. Thanks once again for engaging in my writing.

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