RESTORE TRUST FOR ALL SOUTH SUDAN’S CHILDREN
By Dennis E. Paul
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Is there corruption in all of us?
Are Dinka so pure?
Are Nuer so pure?
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Reinstate trust in all faces;
Dina and Nuer
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Reinstate trust
for all of the children
Reinstate respect and dignity
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And
Embrace again a tolerance
So that the bush does not return to us
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We had made headway
slow miserable non violence cooperation
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We need to feed the children
not lock them in a camp in Juba or Bor
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Contaminated history
years and years and years
of suffering and anticipated suffering
in two civil wars
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Today,
Was it a few
that helped contaminate,
the many?
Did Riek Machar violate the politic of Silva? Kiir Did Silva Kiir violate politic of Reich Machar?
The politics of each
sensitive
and damaged and dented and hurt the sensitivities of tribal pride
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Accusations of attempted political coup
or a guise in an effort to secure a place in perpetuity
And a reaction the offered no forgiveness
And dimmed the hope for cooperation
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We are looking for leaders.
Who is going to quell the disorder?
Yes there are tribal leaders
the burdens on them are more demanding
now
in this effort to apply order to disorder
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But there is another search
A search for hearts that will tolerate
that will take steps toward understanding
that will remove the harsh pains of
an evil predicament
that will tolerate again and again
turning the other cheek
again and again
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And reach out in kindness
one moment of kindness
across the ethnic boundary
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What bedtime stories will you tell your children?
The children that deserve the comfort of political calm
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South Sudan is shaken
Can South Sudanese shake back
with tolerance
with efforts to understand
Neighborhood meetings, work groups, discussions
efforts that seem small
effort that are small yet courageous
or is today’s hostility
the seed of misunderstanding
and hate
going to overwhelm the people of South Sudan
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It is asked of those more tolerant and more understanding
– the moderates –
that can quell the deeper implications of festering hate
between Dinka and Nuer
and the imperfect government
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We hear: wait until an election.
And we beg for honesty and integrity and a spirit of dignity
in the thing called Democracy
And those that can mend
in government
must mend!
and discuss the search for what is South Sudan
and discuss the fight for unity of purpose
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Never more necessary than now
that my children are suffering
that your children are suffering
that our children are suffering
turn the other cheek
turn the other cheek
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And transcend the ethnic divide
that can destroy our children’s future.
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Disarmed guards and loyalty to generals?
common ground must be found
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Amnesty is demanded
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And the causes of dissatisfaction
of hostility
between Dinka and Nuer
must revealed
exposed
and confronted
give South Sudan’s children the benefit of the doubt
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Bravery is omnipotent in South Sudan
but compassion has been obscured
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Youth murdering youth?
Is this South Sudan?
Are we courageous enough to restructure a multiethnic government
with negotiation.. and patience
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