Is she just a digital ghost in red,
Suitable for capturing,
Rendered in technology,
Forwarded around the globe?
The soldiers stand by, idly.
The crowd looks on, approvingly.
Some kin participate, gladly:
This girl must be stoned!
Her crime: a smile
To an man from outside boundaries;
Her torture: a crowded festivity
Of horror, blood and stones.
Part Christian, they tell us;
Part Muslim, part Jew—
This is the word of tradition to you:
Let men dictate every action you do!
A warning, a grim text
For women like her everywhere:
You are not a person! Beware!
Next time this could be you!
O World of Women,
What will you now do?
Delete her? Mistreat her?
Give warning to your daughters?
Approve your executioner sons?
Turn instead to her message,
Covered in stones:
If we fail her again,
We are truly alone.
Dr. Carole R. Fontaine
May,
2007