The Tallest Wall
A poem by Michael Hawkes
A flock of doves atop the wall turns black
as it merges with a murder of quarrelsome crows.
The songs of peace now raucous caws,
as hails of stones,
assail the beasts in armoured cars
on the ready to attack.
Graffiti on the wall are black,
scrawled with cinders from the pyre
by boys who clamber up
the stack of cordwood corpses reaching
far above their heads to mark
their slogans ever higher.
Though mile on mile eight metres tall
one day soon the wall will crack
from the force of their desire.
Then in the slits mere orange pips
will sprout to make the defile fall.
The boys will gain their birthright back
with space to prosper and aspire.
17/12/17 – Hawkes
Feature image: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org
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[/col][col size=”10″]Michael Hawkes was a cherished poet and contributor whose work enriched the pages of WestmountMag.ca with its sensitivity and depth. Over the years, he entrusted us with a rich body of poems, of which only a portion has yet been published. His passing leaves a profound void, but the poems still to come will continue inspire all who were moved by his voice.[/col][/row]