When oppressors cry

“Every PETA exposé of the exotic-skins industry has shown that no matter the source — or the “standards” touted by brands — products made from skins involve forcing highly intelligent, sensitive animals to endure squalid imprisonment and a violent death.” (PETA, 2022)

When the oppressors have
stolen all the wealth and resources
of a once-bountiful and generous planet
from all those who exist upon it,

When the oppressors have
taught the powerful and powerless
to play a manipulative, morbid, and murderous game of
“knowledge”, “development” and “success”,

When the oppressors have
instituted systems of unchecked exploitation
in which unimaginable violence and oppression
self-perpetuate limitlessly for generations,

Do you know what they do?
They cry.

When oppressors cry,
Do you fold, falter, and fawn?
Do you soften, soothe, and sigh?
Do you appease, appeal, and abet?
Do you relate, recognise, and reconcile?

When oppressors cry,
Do you give in, give space, and give up?
Do you lean in, lean down, and lean on?
Do you hold still, hold tight, and hold up?
Do you back down, back away, and back off?