Off to Africa

"tell me something nice."

and let me forget about everything else.

if i ignore it, will it go away?

or will it just stay, even when i'm not looking?

this morning two crows ate the chicks of a pigeon out of a nest on the building across from my window. the pigeon flapped her wings at them frantically, but they persisted, tearing the babies apart and eating them. i couldn't watch.

now all that remain are a few strands of straw where the nest once was.

sometimes i feel that way about the world. sometimes working at here doesn't help.

if a commander knows or purposely doesn't find out what his soldiers are doing, can you still convict him for mass rape?

if we know or purposely don't find out that families are starving because of the way we shop and eat, can we still be convicted for murder?