City of the Mind by Yvonne Marjot

City of the Mind

One factor shared by fanatics of every creed,

The common thread that runs through all their plans,

Is hatred of knowledge: the evil, vital need

To control our minds, and thus our hearts and hands.

Hatred of knowledge sees icons of faith destroyed,

 And children shot for wanting to go to school.

In place of it they offer us a void,

Empty of thought, slaved to another’s will.

Greatest of all is hate of the written word;

The power to learn, to teach, to outgrow the past.

Knowledge is the weapon of tolerance, mightier than swords

Or bombs, but it is fragile and easily lost.

There is a city of the mind, a place where peace

Flourished, and commerce, and teachers were revered.

Thousands studied, regardless of creed or race,

And myriad strands of thought were debated and shared.

A city of trade and prosperity, greater than Troy,

Its wealth more precious by far than gems or gold:

Uncounted pieces of parchment, a scholar’s joy;

A hundred thousand stories that wait to be told.

Have we the will to save this prize? I tell you,

This imaginary city is real: it is Timbuktu.

(after Ben MacIntyre, The Times, Friday January 18 2013)

by Yvonne Marjot

Winner of the Brit Writers' Awards' 2013,

Adult Poetry Award