a small irregular hole in the pocket of an old cardigan five neat buttons adorn the front buttons handled by two generations of doctors in this village so such a small hole would be expected after almost two lifetimes but not the one in the back the one left by a government soldier’s bullet
scrape the surface of ancient layers of life’s mud and then clear away broken remnants of history from hope’s vacant lot a lot strewn with the trash of shredded lies and uncover the specter of mass murder human sacrifices children buried in shallow graves violent sacrifices to an array of gods gods all cast in the image of those who declare that their god is the only true god gods that are wrapped in patriotic or religious flags godly causes less than divine and perhaps more commercial or ego based thus one must gently brush away the loose sand of alibis to expose the skeletal remains hidden in the mass burial sites sites in palestine yemen sudan and along the american border where one sees the splayed bodies of children victims offered in carefully orchestrated acts of ritual sacrifice to appease human greed
transparency international
would like to
congratulate
you
you
have been selected
at random
from thousands
to receive
an all expense paid vacation
to one of their top ten countries
this trip will afford
you an opportunity
to live life as a local
experience the reasons
for all those heart warming stories
that you have only heard about
on the evening news
for example
watch a new-born infant
vainly fight for survival
then
wade through governmental muck
attempting to bribe a government official
to regain your passport
experience the thrill of the hunt
by being the hunted
run wild to foreign borders
be rejected
or
imprisoned in tent camps
this is just a sample of what awaits you
and although previous winners
have requested a travel brochure
i must sadly admit we have none
however
i have enclosed
several photographs
with comments on each
photo number one
a lovely camp in sudan
where you’ll while away the hours
talking to natives from darfur
please ignore the small fire being set
in the foreground
photo number two
transportation system is displayed
these are somalian toll boats
please bring the correct change
since the captain only carries large bills
this is not some one time offer
like those silly tv commercials
this a stable world condition
so you need not rush to your phone
to respond
take your time
most people
have