In Defiance of Injustice: a Poem by Larisa Alexandrovna

A BUZZFLASH GUEST CONTRIBUTION

Defying Those Who Feed on Liberty and Injustice

Larisa Alexandrovna is a noted Internet investigative reporter and a poet, a rare combination indeed.

She has been one of the key online journalists working to expose the political injustice done to Don Siegelman, the former Democratic Governor of Alabama, who is currently imprisoned as the result of a Rovian political prosecution, one of the vicitims of the Bush Administration installing U.S. Prosecutors to pursue political goals.  (Scott Horton of Harper's has also been hammering on the case, particularly the gross negligence of Alabama papers in reporting on Siegelman's plight. And Mark Crispin Miller has been keeping Interent sites informed of developments in the Siegelman story.)

Although she writes detailed and incisive articles exposing the truth, her poetic side is still working in tandem to deal with injustice.

As such, Larisa forwarded a poem to us, which  --we normally don't run poetry -- we were moved to post.

BuzzFlash: Why did you write this poem and when?

I originally wrote this poem in 2006 when I was under push-back on story. There are many things that as a journalist I cannot say and as an opinion writer, I dare not say. As a poet, I am free of these considerations and so I scream. Although this poem was written about me, by me, it is ultimately a poem of courage, or the hope of having courage. It is my way of saying that "you" (in the general and also in the specific to the "bully") cannot have me. You can pressure me. You can threaten me. You can put me away. You can do what you will. But you cannot have me, because I am ultimately free. As sappy as that sounds.

Buzzflash: This could be a poem about anyone. About Don Siegelman.

It could be a poem "for" anyone and yes, certainly "for" Don Siegelman. It is speaking on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves or if they can speak up, they have no platform to be heard. They could be anyone and the "you" can be anyone or anything, but ultimately, the poem is about where this country is today. This can be and is about the far-right telling the nation to worship their way and have faith their way and demanding loyalty to their god and threatening political, social, and religious damnation should we not obey. This is about the culture of loyalty to a man and his party over the loyalty which the Constitution demands of us to itself and to each other. This is about being allowed to disagree, about telling the truth and not being afraid. This is my anger at the bully society we have become domestically and the monstrosity we have become internationally. It speaks for me because I cannot speak for myself given what I do and who I am.

##

Speaking to Jingo-Man

You cannot press me silent

Bruiser, because I don't have

Enough flags attached to my house,

Or because I don't like your lists and eyes

On lists, or threaten fists against

Me if I won't sit still.

You cannot shove me quiet

Brother, because I don't have crosses

On my wall or because I don't read your

Book or Books of Books, or

Threaten to get your hooks on

Me if I won't agree.

You cannot strike me still

Buster, because I don't rage

Along with you to make the world

Genteel or because I don't want your goods

Or wares, or forced words on worlds,

That don't speak for me.

You cannot hit me -free -

Bully, because my eyes can see

The past and all the other eyes that came

Before mine enough to know that you

Can't have your lies for long before the

Rot stinks up the place.

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