On August 17th beginning around 5:00 pm people started gathering in front of our Fellowship to protest the war in Iraq and support Cindy Sheehan in her efforts to meet with President Bush and get an honest answer as to why her son, fighting with American forces, died in Iraq. She wants to know exactly what he was fighting for. (To find weapons of mass destruction? There never were any in Iraq. They’re in the United States. To get Osama bin Ladin? He’s not there. To fight the "War on Terrorism?" Terrorists don’t belong to a country. To make Iraq a democracy? You can’t impose democracy! To control some Middle East oil supplies? To allow some corporations to make megabucks on no-bid contracts? The Bush Administration dresses up its empire-building, war-mongering, war-profiteering schemes in religious right, patriotic slogan-clothing and postures before VFW supporters to photo-op the President leading the nation. It is time to stand up and ask, "Leading us where?")

Eventually 19 people showed up and the best part was that at least half of them were not members of our Fellowship, but people in search of a venue. Several of them joined us the following Sunday and all expressed a surprised and thankful response that there is a community where each member thinks for themselves, and does not support war, hate, discrimination, or economic inequality.

Thousands of feet

Below you

There is a small

Boy

Running from

Your bombs.

If he were

To show up

At your mother’s

House

On a green

Sea island

Off the coast

Of Georgia

He’d be invited in

For dinner.

Now, driven,

You have shattered

His bones.

He lies steaming

In the desert

In fifty or sixty

Or maybe one hundred

Oily, slimy

Bits.

If you survive

& return

To your island

Home

& your mother’s

Gracious

Table

Where the cup

Of loving kindness

Overflows

The brim

(&

From which

No one

In memory

Was ever

Turned)

Gather yourself.

Set a place

For him.