Syria Bruised tears and siren wailsaccompany the footage;babies swaddled in stained carpets,mothers arranged in silent queuesuntil battered trucks eek them towards mass gravesseething with quick lime.Embittered hags spit venom at compatriotsrasping for retaliation. Deep down I knowthe hands which pressed triggers,wielded knives at innocent throatswere once the gentle sons of othersplaying in sand pitsshadowed from scorching windswhile I ferried my ownto schoolyard bunkers and safe horizons.
– John CollardMassacre of innocenceSyria's senseless murderous regimeand terrorist atrocitiesgo to the heart of the lossof respect for sheer existence.Whole families — mothers, fathers, childrenpurposelessly slain for an Ideathat has escaped the world.In little islands of memorieslived one breath of peoplewho lived by the season of nature's calling— a few attuned to the country's rhythmhave survived to teach the high priestsof postmodernity and inventors of powerfuldestructive weapons to descendfrom their bejeweled thrones of clay,clutch real dust and soil with their bare hands,wash off the stain of their wasted soulin the sea of life, shake themselves andawaken the cells, capillaries andlifeblood of their Original Face.It's time to fly the Dovewith the green clover upon its mouthto vanquish the shadowy world of delusionthat seeks to enthrone a realmof meaninglessness,helplessness and hopelessnessthrough vacuous geopoliticsand intra-ethnic religious race.Where else could the one-eyed redeemerresistance fighters turn to but to retreatfrom the death knell of their spiralling,revolving annihilation and returnto their Maker’s authentic face?
– Deborah Ruiz Wall youas the childis wrapped a baggageof history patternedas if the sun had tattooedthe nursery curtains overan o so small body, squirmingunder the trust of hands
– Rory Harris
John Collard has been writing poetry since he was 15. However a career as a teacher, principal, educational bureaucrat and senior academic has meant little time for creative writing. He has now taken early retirement and is catching up.
Deborah Ruiz Wall was born in the Philippines, but has lived most of her life in Australia. She has completed many funded projects on oral history (Aboriginal people and other residents on the Block in Redfern), intercultural story sharing between Aboriginal and Filipino women in inner and western Sydney.
Rory Harris teaches at CBC Wakefield Street in Adelaide. He won the Satura Prize in 2008.