Observations of Paint # 3

Abrahams Barn (tr: Children of Abraham)
(Rolf Groven , 2003)


The bearded man,
surfs the backdrop as two;
Allah and God

Khomeini stays in the backgruond
holding a saber behind his back
Osama bin Laden smiles charismaticly
in a jesus pose with a machine
gun rested on the table
Saddam Hussein and Yassir Arafat rest bodiless
on the white table-top
, George W. Bush stands behind a preaching Ariel Sharon
pointing a petrol hose at Osamas lit candle
holding an AK before Sharons open hand
Tony Blair hides tactfully
behind Bush's left shoulder
waiting for his que to bleat

their carpet is made out of
the people of the middle east
bleeding and screaming
soaking into the table cloth


not much has changed since then

virginia tech massacre is a virus effect
not from games , music or violent movies
but from the stagnant ideas of Freedom
that selfish man has
in reflection of Iraqi bombings
and daily events like
yesterday a gunman killed 33 workers
in a textile factory
in Iraq
an american spokesman drawls out:
in countries that have tried to ban guns
like Britain
crime has actually gone up, cause they buy guns illegally
which is a crime, so crime rises, so you see
I should have the right, the Freedom, to buy all them guns
I want

blind is the burnt child that stays in a ring of fire
blind with fear

Americans have suggested to build a wall around baghdad
keep the terrorists out, keep the people caged

blind is the trapped man who had gilded cage
blind with fear

Prince Harry is going to war, joining the troops
like a relic trying to redeem the glory days
of crucades and warring royals
Iraqi and Irani guerilla vow
to send him back without his ears, or maybe
without his head

walking auckland streets
carrying a global label of clean green and friendly
I see smashed busshelters and gluesniffers
black eyes staring as dogs kill kids
bus drivers seem to be on a killing spree as well
raising bus prices to pay for new glass walls
so they can keep on being assholes without getting punched
in the face
and new cameras and screens are put up
for passengers to watch passengers
to distract
from the actual quality of transport
while skilled pianists busking for charity
are harassed by First Security
having their only hope, their piano, confiscated
to be liquidated
and politicians busy themselves
drafting regulations
to prevent poets doing pavement art
choking spontaneous and transient art
choking social commentary
with red tape and wads of paper

perspective is a blurry tub in a white ocean