This Land is Thy Land by Stephen Kingsnorth

A piece of land in stewardship,
for, as the sea, in nature’s hand,
on loan until the Jubilee,
when all returned to commonweal.

But that law had a shorter span,
uncomfortable, profits concerned;
but Balfour claimed diplomacy,
a promised land he did not own.

Old olive groves where fig trees fruit,
investment, he who works the land?
Why should western materiel
be used against the farmer’s child?

The chosen is humanity.
in partnership with earth as shared,
but sad, as divine right of kings,
that some claim exclusivity.

‘Who owns this land?’ many explored,
invaded, empires, history;
another, west’s emporium
is planned like some Triumphal Arch.

Stephen Kingsnorth (Cambridge M.A., English & Religious Studies), retired to Wales, UK, from ministry in the Methodist Church due to Parkinson’s Disease, has had pieces curated and published by on-line poetry sites, printed journals and anthologies, including Poetry Potion. He has, like so many, been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net. His blog is at https://poetrykingsnorth.wordpress.com