Je Suis Ahmed

A quiet Parisian backstreet, enlivened only by a running engine
and gunfire.

An image beamed around the world.
A totum in the war for free speech.

A lone brave man, lying prone on the ashphalt,
facing down evil
in the knowledge of certain death.

I do my duty because I am a gendarme.
I do my duty because I am a good man.

Je suis Français.
Je suis Muselman.
Je suis Ahmed.

Je Suis Charlie

Who would have thought that a few little doodles could inspire such hatred?

Cold-blooded murder, was it really provoked
by a few clever Frenchmen's satirical poke?

Fear spread through Paris at the speed of light,
But we can't let the terrorists win this fight.
Revenge attacks are just what they crave,
But the the people of France must stand tall and be brave.

Remember the artists and all that they've given.
Remember the radical changes they've driven.
Their biting satire and taboo-smashing content
was delivered with verve, they've no need to repent.

Remember Cabu, and all that he stood for.
Remember Tignous, with his drawings so raw.
Remember Wolinski, how he raised the bar,
and then think of Charb, who always took things too far.

The cartoonists' response has been swift and been just,
The strength of the pencil used to remind us
not to discriminate on the basis of race
or of religion, or the shape of a face.

This issue is not one of France versus Islam
but rather the fight between terror and freedom.