Targets of the Watch List
It's getting hotter every day.
"Global warming," scientists say.
Rising temperatures; sweat drips
down a cynic's smirking lips.
No rise can outshine the sun.
Some consequences can't be outrun.
Save the individual. Sacrifice the state.
Some things shouldn't be up for debate.
Save the self. Sacrifice the group.
Save the whole, kill the young troop.
Is no loss worth the fight?
Another kid dies tonight.
We are one and all. Sacrifice one
for the many protects none
when any can become the chosen
who falters at the thought, frozen
to the spot where life meets death.
The mirror shows no body's breath.
Bated, he waited until she was sated.
Through no fault his own, it was fated
he'd protect her from the coming storm.
Together they'd vow to never conform.
Labeled extremists. Assumed terrorists,
they died targets of the Watch List.
[08-31-2014 © Monique Finley]
A Little History
Click the image to read the original news report from theintercept.comWhen this poem was written "the Watchlist" was in the news. It was a moment of clarity for news organizations that so many people were on the watchlist. Like other international travelers, I've become accustomed to the additional scrutiny (read TSA searches & seizures) at international airports (read border control checkpoints) and I was not shocked by this discovery. I was saddened. The report said that 40% of this list of people weren't affiliated with terrorists. But they were being watched. Their families, friends, and businesses were being scrutinized. How can anyone hold up to scrutiny of the sort exerted by a government agency with seemingly infinite resources?
Simultaneously, I struggle with the thought of a government without a watchlist. There are some seriously bad dudes on this planet. Probably, some government should be watching them. So, where's the line? Where's the point of no return? How much overreach is protecting the nation and how much is jeopardizing it?
Twitter: mfinley80
SteemIt Intro: What's Up, STEEMIT?! I'm Monique Finley, a Blogger, Poet, and Author of the Free E-Serial: Terra Damnata!
1st Steemiversary: A Year of Hard Lessons, Heartache, and Healing
Serial Novel: Terra Damnata, Book 1 of The Pu'Shing Bhu'Tons Series