Bamiyan - Bare rock, Bare wall

by Dan Vera

"Two years ago the Taliban seized from a rival faction the
remote Bamiyan valley, home to two colossal Buddha statues
carved into a sandstone cliff-face in the 2nd century AD.
A Taliban commander then blew up the head of the smaller
Buddha with explosives, and fired rockets at the groin and
dress of the larger Buddha. The attack damaged frescos
that had withstood an assault from Genghis Khan.
The commander later returned to dump two burning tires
on the larger Buddha's lip." - The Economist

"Oh yeah, there was a mural here.
Its been gone awhile."
- kid on bicycle before an empty wall in Humboldt Park Chicago

Three faces chin high.
Bamiyan Buddhas
statue sacrilegious

Brick is better bare than beautiful?

Destroying all statues
to save the god who
"created in his own image?"

If your God is the most high
why does he need defending from 1400 year
old silent statue, or 23 year old smash plan 21
pride mural on the apostolic church wall?

Hope killers with Art fearing God
Gutless scared shitless
of powerful paint on neighborhood
Puerto Rican neighborhood walls

Staring at the empty wall
where once three babes in fetus
held three tiny fingers before three
tiny closed eyes, like Buddhist contemplation,
making the third eye sign
which is the cosmic eye,
which is neither left nor right, just vision.

Imagining cavern of five story tall Buddha
statue sheer rock empty now, like the sockets
in the toothless mouth of your god who is
defenseless before beauty.

I can only imagine a hell for you and your petrified believing:
God pulling your jaws apart and pouring
paint and justice down your throat for all eternity.

And there is Buddha smile serenely
to be called deity
to be feared for smiling
to be silent rock
to be dust
to be Taliban hungry ghost foolish fear.

© 2001 Dan Vera

comment?

HOME | POETRY | UPCOMING READINGS | LINKS | COMMENTS?