(Image : 2006-Ben Heine)
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ANYBODY:
You ever heard dat fools rush in?
Well dat ain’ all dey do.
Fools rush in wearin’ dey glarin’ teef, ya see?
“Clatter click click clatter click clatter clatter”.
Dey fine demselves naked `n shivrin’.
Dey laugh, “heh heh heh…”
Dey don’ care!Hell no dey don’!
Dey don’ tink it matter!
Dis, “heh heh heh”,
dis ain’ no Mista Magoo laughin’.
Uh uh.
Ain’ no laugh of no inconsequential man, neither!
An' it ain' no chuckle o' no blather-sprung chicken!
No, siree! Lordy be! No way. No how...Uh uh…
Dat be de laugh of de nudge-n-wink man.
De laugh of a fella done stumble in
`n tooked de goddamn oath!
Whoooo! Sho’ `nuf!
More like de sumbitch confiscate `at sucka!
Sworn to de highes’ bureau o’ dis mighty lan’!
Oh my did’n he ever!
On de bible he place dat grimy-no-good han’
`n swore he’d not fornicate it never...
He swore t’ God above he did…
Uh huh…
Now look what he done gone `n did…
Umm ummm…
It funny, ya know…
Shore is, `cuz he had not one smidgen
of `n iota of a split millisecon’ flea’s ass
what de hell it meant!
Nudge-n-a-wink he did. Nudge-n-a-wink…
Heh heh heh,
dat’s de laugh of a empty-headed scamp
stretch taut o’ hubriss'rounded by a unruly horde
o’ well dressed, warmongerin-sycophant!
"Yes, Missa President! Yes, dear leada!
No doubt `bout it, George!
Yessa, in a whiz! Couldn’ `gree more!
Right `way, sir! Bomb Iraq it is!"
Forget all dat understandin’ o’ de world!
Forget diplomacy! Forget de facts!
“Yessir! Right `way, sir! Yessssssssssa!
BOOM! BLAM! BOOM!”
Lordy! What de hell dat?
Nuttin, `merica,
Go on back t’ sleep.
Dat’s right. Close dem eyes.
BOOM! BLAM! PLANES IN DE AIR!
BOOM! BLAM! BOOTS ON DE GROUND!
Sendin’ little babies flyin’ t’ heaven…
Sad…
Sad like de sky a fallin’ kinda sad, ya know?
Yip.
Forget diplomacy long’s George `roun'!
Nuance ain’t fo’ dat frat boy
knee-deep-steep in `is own shit!
“Beer coolies fo’ everyone!
Duct tape `n gasmasks!
Water bongs `n apple pie!
Time t’ clear some brush!
Time t’ whistle fo’ de dog
`n drive `round in m’ truck!”
Goddamn fools we be!
Andy, Barney `n Otis
rolled tighter `n a crazie eddie!
Purple rain come down on de Buda-war!
Regular shootin’ gallery!
Daytrippin’ in de West Wing!
What goddamn fools we be!Heh heh heh
…Jonesin’ a fix in Irack!
Jonesin’. Mouth workin’ de country.
Quada done reemed `im,
ripped de paper bag.
Thump, thump, thump go de bible
Lock `n load go de sarge,
`n "Give me ten.
Ten boy and ten girl.
Cut `em in half `n give me twenny!"
Body packin’ God’s drug to de cube skied dreamer!
Either ya pass `em `roun’ `n ingest `em,
`r ya kick de cowboy junkie out o’ de big house,
`cause dis here world’s `bout ta end…
Poem copyright © 2006 mrp / thepoetryman September 07, 2006
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***
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(Image : 2006-Ben Heine)
march march march
bomb bomb bomb
work work work
bang bang bang
enslave yourself
to mankind’s bane
march march march
onward now
in rhythmic chains
stepping now
forward once
then twice back
bomb bomb bomb
truth now split
hope gone flat
march march march
toward the tower
toward your god
work work work
this; our drum,
it must not stop!
bang bang bang
bomb bomb bomb
march march march
march march march
march march march...
***
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What of Your Lessons
(Image : 2006-Ben Heine)
Weathered bureaucrats, old men, what will you leave us?
You might be right in your warring when men go mad,
But what of your feeding, your strategy, your lessons?
What might we say that you’ve fastened upon our backs?
Pause.
You erected the walls and wept for many a perished soul,
You lobbed and thrust your fury against tyranny’s door,
And sent brave guns mounted of triumph over destruction;
But why didn’t you build a path leading out of empty war?
Pause.
Had you known would you have laid stones along their way?
Took note of burning landmarks in front of each rifle’s aim?
Sang of peace instead of war, love songs instead of anthems?
Stayed home creating love, instead of a tide you couldn’t stem?
Pause.
War is human; it just doesn’t send its own children to do the killing.
God
(Image : 2006-Ben Heine)
First bloom
Bomb
IED
Sacrament
Deity
Folded pain
Given thee…
A plea…
A grasp…
A hope…
A bomb…
An IED…
An unfurrowed pain…
An offering to thee
Bloom
Bomb
IED
Children
Ache
Forfeit
Thee…
Take this tree, gOD…
Take this flower…
Crush this stone…
This father…
This mother…
Arid land…
Emptiness
We are
In your image
Beautiful
Furious
Loving
Failing
Quintilis Bound
(Image : 2006-Ben Heine)
It begins:
A statue falls upon tyranny
with great noise!
Its echo swaggers,
“mission accomplished”…
1
a leader’s sons killed,
a vision most stark,
creating, again,
a most thickset brilliance;
freedom’s clang!
2
Clang went the bell
across the world's relief;
a government installed
and democracy
does bind its roots
`round a palm tree.
3
Iraqi born rebellion
stares back in disbelief
at its darkened final throe.
4
Another leader slain,
collateral blue sky leapt,
a world wheezing,alive,
stunned in death.
5
Road-side bombs doubled,
slash, rip, bang!
Numbers unfathomable,
America’s in trouble.
6
Insurgency rage shrieks
strung `round detonation,
it’s coming asunder,
slash, rip, thunder!
Civil war's been rolling
a year or more,
a rough translation.
7
Quintilis bursting in
thirty-five hundred!
Caesar Augustus!
Clang, tolled the bell
across the world
as a statue fell
upon tyranny...
It ends.
