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His head wrapped in bandages
His face scared
With blood
Oozing out of the wounds
His eyes shut
Unconscious maybe dead
His arms high
High enough to surrender
No. He will never surrender
He is a terrorist
He is a murderer
He is an extremist
He must die
10-month-old baby?
A baby who cries for his mother's milk
A baby whose hands wave in the air
Who clutches at your thumb
Is he your terrorist?
Is he who you are targeting?
Because he is who you got.
He will never surrender,
How can he surrender
For a crime he has not committed

Open his eyes
Raise his arms
Restore his brain
But for what?
How can he open his eyes
When his mother is laying dead in the house
When his father is laying dead in the mosque
When his streets stink of rotten flesh
When the walls are splattered with blood
Leave now you barbarians.
And let the baby cry
Let him cry, let him mourn
And may he grow up to resist
Your dogs.
But you have made sure that will not happen.

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A million more will be born
How many can you kill
How many can you stop from crying
How many can you stop from raising their arms

They will resist your dogs
By any means necessary

* Natasha I. Shivji is a student from Tanzania currently working on her Masters of Arts. She holds a Bachelor's degree in History and English literature from the University of British Columbia (2008), where she was awarded the UBC President's entrance scholarship.
* Please send comments to [email protected] or comment online at http://www.pambazuka.org/