Martin Robertson

Now and Then

What Hope?

Dreams of good

drown in angry blood.

Romeo and Juliet,

Leila and Majnun,

loving children

cheated by a feud,

sundered, bewildered, dead,

breathe from the tomb.

to hover on the chill

of fury and hate

a fugitive goodwill,

hardly to be

before it dissipates.

Oh, humanity!