Shut Up

the world has gone mad--
the politicians are crushing
our eyes as we sleep
teeth ooze through keyboards
someone stomps the sweetest 
blade of grass and the last tiger
striped in midnight wind and 
sunset growls and dies in
a Chinese blender.
"so what everything burns,"
​someone insinuates
despite the salt you throw
over your shoulder. an itch, 
tenderness for the fallen the 
precious, such baggage. the child isn't 
burning in Aleppo that's too far
she is burning here,
Here! in the crèche of your 
ribs in the hallow. to live you must choose 
to be the child you must choose 
to be the tiger choose to dance like
you too burn you too
spin in the wind midnight
and sunset before ash. or take your sex
among the dead be silent as 
a missing tongue silent as they 
silently come to toothpick the forests 
of Brazil silent as they silently come
with chlorine mops for your brown 
children shut up be silent stay silent 
while the humpbacks scream so 
subliminally in their bottomless beds.