You are only human
You are 200,000 years old
You are now modern
Or so I´ve been told

From the times of ancient Greece
through war-torn seasons
to societies in peace
you´ve committed treason

The treason of the sexes
The treason of the Church
Petty treason
For treason we search

The treason of the common
The treason of the skin
The treason of the mind
The treason within

The populist hands out
the Sakharov Prize
to the hero so stout
only after his demise

From the Age of Enlightenment
past the Civil Rights Act
through the Millennium Goals
back to hell and back

The violations of law
confine the Mothers to the Square
Anti-gay laws
in Russia beware

Malala´s education
as the Untouchables sigh
The small farmer´s marginalisation
in the Age of Why

Can we break through
“l´histoire se répète”?
Could we breach that vicious circle
can we make that bet?

***by Max Horstink. This poem was made in contribution to Blog Action Day 2013. The theme that year was human rights.