Say we no longer bear witness to a body-politic of trauma
after revolution
by anesthesia or erasure. Say we cover our eyes
to crossed olive-wood beams on a hill. Modes of witness
expose our inadequacy, the human. Forgetting
is a sign-yes, a thing once existed. Say we are unworthy
of witness, internal or external-
our damaged wisdom, for instance,
our diminished capacity for empathy
and heightened apathy to torture
mingled with doves
of unfettered desire
or an eclipsed divine.



About this poem
"This poem explores the nature of witness. It can transform our lives by raising awareness through the power of valid eyewitness testimony, yet when inadequate or misused, it can also harbor a dangerous potential to exploit or objectify, i.e., voyeurism and cultural tourism. It's a double-edged sword."
-Karen An-hwei Lee

About Karen An-hwei Lee
Karen An-hwei Lee is the author of "Phyla of Joy" (Tupelo Press, 2012). She lives and teaches in the greater Los Angeles area.

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The Academy of American Poets is a nonprofit, mission-driven organization, whose aim is to make poetry available to a wider audience. Email The Academy at poem-a-day[at]poets.org.


(c) 2015 Karen An-hwei Lee. Originally published by the Academy of American Poets, www.poets.org. Distributed by King Features Syndicate