Sunday, February 27, 2011

OUR DELICATE BALANCE

by Anne Davies


Egypt’s triumph, to great acclaim,
Has set the Middle East aflame
Yemenis are in the streets protesting
Police are in the streets arresting.

Libyans want Qadaffi’s head,,
Better circuses, more bread
Tiny Bahrain’s caught the virus
Thanks to Facebook, not papyrus

The spark has reached chill Belarus
But KGB says nyet to truce
Anarchists can chew their nails
In sturdy Stalin-era jails.

Who knew the Egyptians could do it
We’re not quite sure how to construe it.
In theory we promote democracy
While we do business with autocracy.

If new regimes manage to flower
That may affect the balance of power
Though moral questions itch and chafe
Unsavory allies keep us safe.


Anne Davies is a fund-raising writer by profession and a writer and versifier by avocation. Her work has been published in local and regional papers. She lives in Lexington, Massachusetts.
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