Where Was the Outrage
Protests on campuses rage from coast to coast
against genocide they claim
Where were they, the youth, the so-called
educated throughout the forgotten years? Where
were the placards and tents as millions of
Khmer died while the world looked the other way.
Where were the anger and megaphones as Rwanda
burned? Where were the protests when young
men and women were dying in a misconstrued post
9/11 war, a war lasting over 20 years?
Where are the voices as children and women
are massacred by the thousands in Ukraine? Where
are the youth as girls in Afghanistan are raped,
tortured and burned. Where are the outbursts when
the voice of one ring louder than thousands? Where
I ask, is the outrage as young women in Iran are
beaten and raped by police? Where are the people
when a man goes to prison for speaking against
a Cambodian government that condones trafficking
and rape. Where were the protests immediately after
October 6th? Where I ask, is the media when individuals
speak and defend humanity? Where I ask, are the members of Congress
and senators when individuals risk their lives for the innocent
who are being raped and murdered? Where is the outcry
when children are covered in blood watching their parents
die?
Where are they hiding while the world at large is in
turmoil? A person can’t choose to stand up and speak out
when the occasion suits them. Those who care about
their brothers and sisters will raise their voices and speak out
for all, not just the selected few. Where are the protests
when our democracy is failing? Without democracy,
we may soon realize what far too many already have,
an untimely death and buried in shallow mass graves.
The current protests will not erase religious bigotry
that exists. Are these protests a call for change, a call for
understanding, a call to action, or a masked call for
sanctioned genocide?
John Ganshaw retired to follow his dream of owning a hotel in Southeast Asia after 31 years in banking. This led to many new experiences, enabling John to see the world through a different lens and to write his story through essays, poetry, and an unpublished memoir. John’s work has appeared in Dreich Magazine, Story Sanctum, Post Roe Alternatives, Fleas on the Dog, Ambidextrous Bloodhound, Free the Verse, eMerge, Unapologetic, and Sucarnochee Review among others. He believes that nothing is as it seems; experiences are meant to shape us, not define us. Life has hope, truth, and adventure, leading to stories that must be written and told.
The Marbled Sigh 