Inspired by "Standing in the Shadow of Love" by the Four Tops
I'll do time if I stand in line to protest this democracy. Make signs, march in time to a beat of underground movements ready to pounce on a mis-said word, action, deed. Screaming freedom, smelling teargas, sitting in jail because we forgot, thought a democracy meant equal rights, a chance not life in a jail cell for peaceful protest for no reason but being there. This state of policy turning us into a police state.
He says: We need to track terrorists.
He says: We need to protect our citizens.
He says: We need to defend our liberty.
In a church, in a town, in the middle of wide open places I check in men, in women, in families. Faces clouded, fleeing from lives unseen within our borders. Our cocoon wrapping is what they search for, a new beginning, a new life, as men with federal badges search the papers, search the files, search their lives because of their foreignness, their differences, their threat. For me it’s horror, disgust at the filtering, an idea of being patriotic but to those families, to them it’s like they’re still home.
He says: We have reached a time for hope.
He says: We are confident in the future
He says: Our country is the greatest nation on earth.
I’m surrounded by suburbia. A perfect suburbia until the plant shuts down, files out, abandons us. All the windows in my neighbourhood turn to broken teeth. A lit street fades to a few fireflies. Friends move out, move on, sink in while
He says: I’ll work to build a nation of justice
He says: I’ll work to build a nation of opportunity.
He says: The American dream is alive.
My friends, father, brothers, cousins, sisters, mothers, sons, march as cannon fodder for single minded walking time bombs, not minding what faces as long as they turn faceless. No one knows why they are there, a generation of people who just want to come home.
He says: We have a calling from beyond the stars
He says: The cause must be just, the goal must be clear, and the victory - overwhelming.
He says: We need to stand for freedom
Standing in the Shadow of love, we wave our flag, pledge allegiance, erect towers, monuments, remembrance of people missing, maimed slaughtered. We wear pins, t-shirts, badges our hearts on our sleeve, we wait by the TV, radio, polling station to make a difference, make our choice, forget the heat of the sun as we stand in endless shadow.
And he says: Do you? Do you? Do you love this country as much as I do?
Heather Taylor studied music, acting and writing in western Canada where she first began performing with Mirror Theatre, a group that co-created and toured social theatre pieces for youth. After working on over 30 film and theatre productions both onstage and off, Heather began performing her own solo work in Vancouver and co-produced the multimedia showcase Skidrow Theatre with Silent Productions. Her writing has led her to claim a first place poetry prize with Speak Out and a top-ten position in the Praxis Screenwriting Competition with her full-length screenplay "Two Fists." In January 2002, Heather pulled up stakes and moved to London, England. Since arriving in the UK, she has been a featured performer at Borders, Poetry Café with New Blood, Ladyfest Amsterdam, and at the Spitz with Writers on the Storm. She has also performed at Brave New Word, Backroom Vodka Bar, Backstage Lounge, Aromapoetry and Walking the Dog. Recently, Heather's work has been published in X-Magazine, Wolf and Unpublished as well as various college and youth papers. When not working on her writing, Heather acts as a co-editor for the Veg Out section of youthone.com and has most recently been working as an intern for Sable Literary Magazine.
