ENEMY OF THE FEDERATION
(Chakotay, Maquis, to Janeway, Starfleet)
"An enemy of the Federation"
you say
scorn in your voice
as if it were the foulest epithet you could invent.
Proud, I defy your verdict
claim the title for my own
Oh, yes, I was -- I am --
enemy of a Federation
who could give my people no better choice
than to be yanked, roots and all,
from the land we loved
or to bear whatever our bloody new masters
chose to grant
Enemy of a Federation
that didn't piss on the fire
when Cardassians torched a neighbor village
We fought the flames
a day and a night
then another
strong men and women collapsing
in the heat
but elders
and infants
had already died of smoke
Enemy of a Federation
that mouthed futile protests
when our shaman was slain in the night
and we found his acolyte
staked spread-eagle on the sacred ground
The boy couldn't testify
couldn't speak
only stare, shock-silent,
his eyes as big as the rip in his mentor's throat
Enemy of a Federation
that wrung its hands uselessly
when marauding Cardassians tore through my village
my training of no value
for they knew of it and took me
first and by surprise
so I lay, bound, beaten
and child-helpless
while women screamed
men died
and my sister --
my sister --
my beautiful baby sister
sent such a fine honor guard to hell
that they *almost* let her die
unraped
Enemy of a Federation
that acted at last
when I and others who'd seen too much
could bear no more
and we took the war back
to our tormentors
A Federation that turned on us
and hunted us like rodents
through the void
Among the hunters, Captain,
you,
who would have shot me down
for daring to stand
Though I must forgive for the moment,
I do not
I will not
forget
Enemy of the Federation
I was and am
and prouder of that, Captain,
than you should be
to call yourself its friend
-- Brenda Shaffer-Shiring
(
geocities.com/chakotaytorres)