After the brutal killing of muslims at prayer in two mosques at Christchurch, Aotearoa-New Zealand on 15 March 2019
Because we are like Muslims
And so we turned on The News
and we thought what country is this
with all these people screaming and running
and bleeding
and they talked like us
it was our country
and they are us
and then we saw little groups
under the weeping trees
and police so many
and familiar yellow ambulances of St John.
There is the love and the care.
And they talked like us
And oh One God!
They are us.
It is our turn.
And next day we went to Mass
and we thought how someone could rush in
and shoot us all dead
because we are like Muslims praying
and we sang make us instruments of peace
and there was blood everywhere
and our hearts were broken before the bread.
17 March 2019
© Anne Powell