RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: WORLD DEMOCRACY
Democracy under Fire
There can be no democracy
when the people are under the gun
You cannot have fair elections
when you’re allowed to kill the opposition
In El Salvador the people have
embraced a brutal dictatorship
In Pakistan abuse of justice has
altered the balance of power
In Hungary the free press and lawful
opposition have been banned
In Turkey they crush the forces of
democracy by all means necessary
In Russia they imprison dissidents
and hold mock elections
In Afghanistan and Iran there is
only one voice
In America democracy balances
on the head of a pin
A raging fire of brutality spreads
Flames fanned by criminal enterprise
Roaming gangs of rapists and killers
The promise of order without law
The desperation of common people
The desire for a simple life
Democracy cannot exist where lives
are in constant upheaval
Where everything you have can
be taken away by criminals
Where the fundamental needs of
the people are denied
And yet democracy is the only
answer to the usurpation of power
Only democracy can defeat lawlessness
Only democracy can provide for the
needs of the people
When it is gone you will learn
When it is gone you will understand
how difficult it is to get it back again
