December 2, 2002

The Banality of War

Soldiers at the ready, high on violence

Men rounded up, hooded, made impotent

Women, dogs, looking, waiting, searching

Children lost, maimed, trembling, starving

Trusted ones disappearing, collaborating

Shots, explosions, tanks, artillery fire

The air screaming, the earth shaking

Glass breaking, ambulances wailing

Airplanes strafing, survivors looting

Bombs, leaflets, shrapnel dropping

Bodies unrecognizable, elbows, limbs

Blood, burns, screams, dust, stench

Flies, check points, detention centers

Torture, rape, deceit, a black market

Scenes of savagery and of sacrifice

All to achieve peace, freedom, democracy

A better life, help friends, prevent worse

Stamp out evil, suffering, dictatorships

Communism, terrorism, insurgencies

Cleanse the world of its latest plague

Few notice in the moment of terror

Children learning at this school of life

Scheming heroism, revenge, martyrdom

Resolving to better their parents

And themselves capture peace at any price

Preparing for their own round

By pulling the wings off living birds.