“God Is On My Side”
by Kurdish warrior of the Caucasus Mountains
Don’t look at me like I’m alone.
I walk with fire in my chest
and God at my back.
Not the god in their books,
twisted by fear.
Not the god they use to control,
to excuse,
to poison the air with smoke and silence.
My God is not colonizer-friendly.
My God doesn’t sit in banks,
or behind flags,
or inside governments pretending to be divine.
My God sees me.
In my silence,
in my rage,
in the way I stand
when the world wants me to kneel.
I do not scream for attention.
I speak because truth burns inside me,
and He listens —
always.
He saw what they did.
He counted every time I held my breath
so they could exhale their rot into the air.
And still,
He gave me voice.
Still,
He walked with me.
So let them laugh.
Let them gather in smoke and cheap power.
I walk alone —
but I walk with God.
And that
is everything.