Discovery (poem)

The quality of mercy 
is deeply strained
dripping with the blood
of innocents
it lacks all qualities 
of grace
they claim 
it has descended from heaven 
fallen
onto hallowed ground
made fertile 
by the entrails
of the warriors
lying dead
alongside their children and
the women 
who died protecting them and
the old men
torn asunder by
weapons of war
levelled against a population
living without knowledge
of colonialism 
or the greed it arouses
armed only with spears of cane
weapons incapable of piercing
the visitors 
covered in armour 
like some great beast –
impenetrable and
invincible –
descending upon them 
from distant lands
the peaceful Arawak
witnessed the shadows 
of their worst nightmares
turning these naive Natives 
of the Bahamas
and Hispaniola 
and the rest of the
New World into 
nothing more than slaves
forced to satisfy
their thirst for gold
as tributes to the King and Queen
from the New World
gifts from their faithful servant …
Columbus had arrived.