Displaced Muslim Women in Zamboanga
(Photo Source:
Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Every Day
War is no longer declared,
but rather continued. The outrageous
has become the everyday. The hero
is absent from the battle. The weak
are moved into the firing zone.
The uniform of the day is patience,
the order of merit is the wretched star
of hope over the heart.
It is awarded
when nothirng more happens,
when the bombardement is silenced,
when the enermy has become invisible
and the shadow of eternal weapons
covers the sky.
It is awarded
for deserting the flag,
for bravery before a friend,
for the betrayal of shameful secrets,
and the disregard
of every command.
Ingeborg Bachmann
(translated from the German by Peter Filkins)
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