‘Laments of the Oppressed’ and Other Poetry by Matthew Walton

Laments of the Oppressed

My great country, please let me be,
What I think and say should be up to me,
The world cannot be so controlled,
You don’t have to block every single road.
It isn’t something bad we seek,
To have good virtues when life is complete,
Abandon things like lust and greed,
Do not let hate and persecution breed.
The other people, over there,
Don’t worship and pray as if on a dare.
It’s only fair to have freedom,
When you don’t care if we live in a slum.
Let us meet, together as one,
There is no need for you to bring guns,
We who meditate peacefully,

Should be allowed to pray and worship free.

Freedom of Winter Hills

You start before the world,
Beating the sun to the skyline,
Something is waiting for you,
Just ahead of this incline.
Nothing else is moving,
Birds silenced by the snow,
The way life should be,
The best nature can bestow.
Like swimming, like flying,
The rushing through your hair,
That sweet sense of movement,
Without going anywhere.
With your own path to follow,
And your own fate to choose,
Just point your skis downhill,

And you have nothing to lose.

Featured Image: This is a dramatic reenactment of a common torture used on Falun Gong practitioners in China.

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