Ignorance is Strength

He was very important to me.

My brother, that is,

But he’s gone now

Across the sea,

Across the world,

Helping some people that,

From my perspective,

Aren’t even there.

I cared about him very much

But I can’t think about him anymore

Because when I think about him,

It isn’t his face that comes to mind.

It is the hundreds of indistinct faces I can’t bear to think about

It is the stomachs that are constantly wanting

It is the minds that are living with the horrors I can’t fathom

I can't think about them

So I can’t think about him.

It was simpler, nicer, easier for me

When he was just my brother

When he wasn’t a mass of the people he needed to help.

And I know that what is simple and nice and easy 

And what is right 

Are not synonymous

But I can’t help it.

It was simple when I was protected from all of it

It was nice when my problems were contained to myself and my superficialities

It was easy to be strong when there was nothing to face

But it wasn’t right.