My Lament
my tears no longer remain shut away in an embarrasing display of stoic non responsibility
i care
and perhaps too deeply
but Abu Ghraib has just hit me
there are more pictures and videos
children
women
men
abused
assaulted
killed
in my name?
in yours?
i have never felt so powerless
yet
so responsible
every person who upholds this war must hear from me
that torture is wrong
and that soldiers torture
so soldiers must be wrong
but is my logic correct?
is my premise accurate?
cause i do support some troops
only those who resist
and there just aren’t enough of them
and torture still goes on
and yes, good old boys have been sent to the middle east
do i breathe a sigh of relief
that they’re over there
instead of
over here
Hell No!
because Iraqis, Afghanis and Iranians
do not deserve this
and
all the yellow ribbons blowing in the wind
beckon a return of america’s finest
and
i suppose i should digress
but
that just ain’t gonna work anymore
i know too much to ignore
the blood that flows from Hadditha to Houston
and i have never met 15 year old
Abeer Hamza
though i will never forget her
the pain she went through
and the life cut too short
and for what?
imperialism?
so that the US can remain a superpower?
is it really that easy to destroy a people
instead of build them up…
i will no longer muffle my cries
in a bathroom towel
while dinner guests
discuss whether it’s a good thing if the us attacks Iran
maybe the anti-war movement will grow
how fucked up is that?
how about debating what to do to stop the attack in the first place
the people of the world are not the american government’s
pawns in a global chess game
neither do they belong to a liberal’s
check
mate
there is such a disconnect between
them
and
us that this society fosters
so we have to
reject that and connect
rise up and be strong
resist and stand firm
and refuse to go along
