Of Honour Killings and Innocence

Weeks of testimony

And tears and talk

Of honour-killings

and guilt that brought

Shame upon a family

But no-one to speak

For those whose silence

Rang so loudly 
in the courtroom

The silence of their innocence

Rang throughout the land -

The land where the woman

and the three girls
had believed they

were safe

The sound 
of their innocence 
notable

by its very absence 
in the country

where they thought 
they were to live

in safety

Where they thought
nothing bad

could happen

In the end
in the courtroom

in the country 
where the woman 
and her daughters

had thought they 
would live in safety

It was decided that
they had died

In innocence - 
that there is no 
such thing as honour killing

The guilt belonged
to their murderers

The silence was broken

By the courts

And the murderers, 
all of them

were sentenced

to life in prison

It set a precedent ...

Let it be known 
that in Canada

There can be no 
more of this

If you move here

You must abide 
by the law of this land

S.E.Ingraham©