Terms of War
Why make war when
you can make love
exchange your missiles for
jade stems hard & potent
created for women’s pleasure.
Enter the celestial palaces
absorb their essence
cause them to vibrate with joy
give your women pleasure
& keep their sons at home.
Old Men
I look at old men & wonder why
all white-haired, bald-pated, wrinkled, grey,
some look pitiful & some
strong & dangerous
genial smiles masking cold eyes & hard mouths
(like horses too accustomed to having their way).
What makes these old men dangerous?
or are they only strong & able
the American ideal of the macho male
carried into a hard old age . . .
do they not soften for little children?
only their own, not others . . .
they direct the trembling fingers of
young men
to the buttons of war, reaching
through them to exterminate
the children
of other old men.
1998
Inhumanity
Is it our natural state for people to hurt other people?
Are we all "learning lessons" from horrible experiences?
When does the perpetrator become the victim & the victim
the perpetrator?
Where does it start
& where does it end,
the snake swallowed its tail
& the world began.
A woman bore a child
who turned to kill;
A woman bore a child
who turned to die.
Whose woman's child shall be
mourned the most?
whose child shall cause the
most mourning?
They turn off equipment to listen listen
listen for calls for help,
But death has no sound & so they continue,
knowing that death has no sound.
Men & dogs dig through the rubble,
piles of cement, steel & tears,
tears trickling down to the dead, to the dead,
tears trickling down to the dead.
Voices shout to find the killers,
kill the monsters of death & pain,
Avenge among the grapes of wrath,
vintage of mankind's children.
How shall we reap our revenge,
sweet revenge; is revenge ever sweet?
How shall we punish the unthinkable crime
without violating ourselves?
The children shall live on in our hearts,
live on in our hearts & our souls,
For no matter how old children may be
death throws them back in our arms.
Where does it start
& where does it end,
the snake swallowed its tail
& the world began.
MUSHROOM
Hi from one who’s beat
to the world that is beat
why deny it the whole world
has the beat pulsing pulsing
this steady beat beat beat
& soon the beat will
quicken & go
BOOM
Attack
B O O M
retaliate
B O O M
these are the ashes below the mushroom cloud
many many ashes deep deep deep nothing else
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