Long poem for peace (part #1)

[leafsailors ghost]

Long Poem For Peace
So I wonder what is the task this time ?
who am I ?
You will see
your world is of dreams rambling
realities comprised of wishes and curses
a thousand thousand killers -all painted up
dandy dancers in religion
philosopher's power slaves
I am an animal man-creature
now shape shifting into your world
awake
You will not know me
You will not see
or understand,
just a stranger
another mental case
you will say
a ragged child of sand and wind
I can clearly see the lies you believe
so many explanations told as truth to the child
who grows
not knowing the questions are not answered
and instead carrying a bag of lies and fairy tail
awake, yes I am awake
I tried to stay at rest
but once too often I was disturbed
I had to shed my sleep and my skin
all of you have awakened me
all of you with your noise
clambering, ranting, spitting hate drizzle
I am
who are you mad men underlings ?those
dancing, howling, midnight dark dreamers, suns of hate
dark riders in the wind of sorrow ?
flinging into the eyes of men
I am awake and you will stand down in the edge of a dream
a reality breaths
the shifting ripples along the skin and in the blood
the eyes change
new knowledge comes into the mind of the phoenix
the sun and the wind feed me
the sparrow and the hawk teach me
the oak tree is my strength
I am rock and earth
blood and tears
I am here now among you
quickly I travel in electronic arteries
in the spider web around the world
unannounced
unrequested
I'll gather your young about me
this is now
I am awake
now I will splinter and sing
to you this new song of long ages made
come children listen:
first one war
then another
and another
after these some
many more
all the same sad story
nothing learned
The sky is beyond black or blue
it is deep singing sleep
I am at once free to understand
tomorrow I leave
the stars cascade across my vision
the radio makes talk over in the Humvee
the air is cold
ageless sands shift under an ageless sky
my boots are new
the equipment is new
everything smells plastic elastic Velcro fresh
the ammo is heavy
neat and clean
I am just arrived alive
but tomorrow afternoon I will leave
beyond repair
mother was relieved
it will do you good to join
unfolding before my eyes the heavy afternoon heat gives way
to heat beyond the edge of reason
complete silent pressure
no sound
slowly disintegrating man
shredding, arms, legs shredded head
all drifting away in the cloud of light
don't tell me I don't know
I am awake
I am here to haunt you
dead child
cold blue child
dead destroyed baby girl
shrapnel blue deep pits above her eyes
a hole in her face and an arm gone ragged
don't tell me any thing
I am awake
this isn't an idea
the fires of hell
are kept lit by you fools
you know who you are but you did not count on me
I will stop you
now
In this early morning hour I know
I will tell no one I will sleep
and gather into a force
of truth
afraid beyond words
young and dead
no lover's arms to return to
only you standing at a marble headstone
I wont leave you alone
the chopper settled in
the gooks nest
high as a kite
the air was bath water
the smell was gasoline and swamp
it was fun
incoming was buzzing
but the tie sticks and beer took the afternoon
just hit the ground in the raging dust
empty the clip
run stumble and fly into the shade
the world is pounding,
one big heart beat
still the chopper sings its farewell
a deep stillness settles in
quietly the men die
bleeding a rivulet into the soft soil
the rice field simmers in the sun
the heat settles in
so stoned I don't care
its just this stupid war
I want to go home, but that's a million dreams away
Mike died yesterday
a week in evak,
they knew he would and he knew it was up
Joey is insane
Dave is slipping into a killer
I'll ramble if I want to, you can't stop me
You don't have any clue as to who I am
do you?
no
the father land needed me
to kill the Jews
they came so smartly to my door this morning
shiny and at attention
all scrubbed clean
full of the mission, you will come with us
I knew to go
the air was cold, the day was clear
a little snow was left in the hedges and about the buildings of town
your name, yes we know who you are
fill out this form
sit in this chair
wait
here is your identification, don't lose it
you will be shot if you cant produce it
you are now in the glory of the father land
I wanted only my books and the sweet girl at the bakery store
my microscope and violin
no idea of war was mine
now I stand naked in the cold water
hollow gray home of a thousand pale boys
given to this order of insanity
again and again
wave your flags wave them until the dead can see you
wave them all
all you flag wavers,
wave like you never waved before
you wont stop me
I am fire
I am the fire of truth
not to hidden by righteousness or holiness
you can't do that when it is just a plain old destroying truth
stupidity is truth
cruelty is truth
foolish following is truth
I burn you to the bone,
I destroy you in your bed
I will hunt you down and make you see me
I am awake you have disturbed me,
I am in a deep cosmic rage
you will wonder where I came from
I am yours
you made me and left me for dead, forgotten
sleeping in the gas chambers and killing fields
the machete
digs into his neck
I can feel the bone
he looks me in the eye
I know something has gone terribly wrong
but I laugh out loud, pull and swing again
his head roles away
get it
you keep dreaming this nightmare over and over
I am awake
quickly follow me
if you can
or you will not see me enter the great halls
where the powerful men yammer and spit
spending lives like currency
you will not see me casting dark confusion over them with the spider net
to watch them spin their own destruction
ever more ridicule
turning on each other in a harvest of their own blood
turned to ash
their clothes will turn to rags as I leave
the Apache dance in the fire light
as the Crow
as the Choctaw
something has gone terribly wrong
they know
but still, now the arrow is for the heart of brothers
not the deer or elk
I bend and cut the scalp
rip it back
I hold it high and feel the warm blood run down my arm
our eyes have gone wild, like wolves at the kill
if my hand touches you
you will be without understanding
you will see yourself as the bomber and the destroyed
your mouth will speak of destruction
but it will always be yours
I will find you
you who think you are so wise
as to be the judge and destroyer
one by one you will come with me
it is all a lie
it is noise and confusion
inherited foolishness, well kept and passed down
father to son
now you will see me
you will not hide from me I will hold the flame on your mind
until the fire catches
cant you see who I am
the gray dawn
sweet among the hills of Tennessee
home
the gray rough new uniform
the new packets of powder and shot,
the brass shiny caps
a rainy mist, the gray lines
the cavalry call
the answering volley
the first
so it begins
I am now turning around and around looking,
everything moves so slowly
the man in blue twists and shatters before my eyes
settling like a rag across a fallen tree
all scarlet and shiny
I am a thunder,
my ears hear a drum beat ever slower
I am on fire
the world is turning red and silent,
I look down at the ring on my finger
you will hear me now
you will hear my bride weep
you will smell the honeysuckle vine I fell into
it takes me home outside the window
I sing in the vines
a chill runs through and through the woman looking out
seeing the gray clouds scuttle by
I close my eyes
put it down
, put down the page
, put away the pen
quiet the rage
try to still the tongue and silence the song I bring
I am alive
deep in the truth I reside
I show you the lies
I will not be gone
back to the romance of the fife and drum, bagpipe and song
dances at the academy
in smart new uniforms
all the shiny fancy aircraft
the napalm scudded like burning vomit across the village
the babe sizzled like bacon
popping and spitting as the fire consumed it
I am transfixed
still frozen
I am as stone
my child burns and I melt into the fire
the fire leaps up my long hair and kisses my cheek
the cow staggers by outside on fire
I can hear grandmother singing
I feel the long rain
coming now
I am the fire
you should know me better
you play on your island testing ground
curious children
you get your revenge on the yellow people
I'll take your world from you if you are not careful
I am fire
I am awake
in the mud listening to the men try to explain themselves
how did we get here in France ?
hell Henry and I volunteered down at the station that's how we got here
Cindy kissed me goodby
that is all I really wanted,
was for her to kiss me good by
and look at me that way.she did as she said she would wait for me
I am cold now
quiet and dead,
covered up in the bottom of the trench
slipped back down into the mud
smacked in the forehead,
it felt like a hornet sting and a hard punch between the eyes
everything went white and shiny for a moment
a deep dark starry night sky spinning all around
a beautiful point of singing light
the most radiant ring of light
the gate
but I wanted to come home to Cindy !
I cant be here yet !
the men don't understand that they are also dead yet
standing in line to sign the papers and give their lives for their country
boy
that's the answer
searing tearing pain
the whole side of my face blown away
I'm staring at you in disbelief
with one eye hanging out,
for a moment I can see it
I am home
I am yours
I walk the lonely clay road in Alabama
looking for my home place in the summer sun
I see a an old oak tree,
the dewberries are ripe
and now the big circle of oaks
the lighter knot gate post
but no gate,
only the chimney stands from the old home place
I suppose the Philco radio is gone as well?
how is this
I was standing on the foredeck watching the incoming zeros
looking for my recon man when something went terribly wrong
for a second I understood torpedo
land we lifted up as if by invisible hands and were slammed with fire,
just a blink
mom
Ill show you the truth
truth is thirst
when you have no water for days
simple quiet deep
terrifying truth
watch the soldier drink
, then laugh at us and spit it out
he spits out whole mouthfuls on the dry ground
the ache
worse than any lover's desire
for just a sip
you know what war is?
I know you do not get it
or
it would be ended
the truth will make you insane
with thirst
twist in the fire
try to fly from the raging pain in your head and screaming through yourbowls
gasp for air in the heat of your cell
death in Afghanistan
the Patriots cause
you are fools to believe
you win when you kill
any one
, any one, so bold and brilliant in wisdom
to say
I am God
is welcome to hell
its yours
you make it
you keep it
jump up and shout,
run, sing and dance
love the killers one and all
every mother's son with blood on his hands
I am awake
I know you don't like me
, you don't like this
get up and leave
you will find I will follow you
right into your dreams
you will no longer hide and wash your hands in innocence
our cause, our reasons, our way of life
its always the same side
its your side
its just a finger on the trigger
quick snap dead
explanation
and a few civilians killed by mistake
I'll be a mountain of bloody legs
blown off by land mines
resurrected arms and hands,
shattered severed heads
raining down
I have the strength of all the men killed
the innocence of the children
the raging sorrow of the mothers
the sadness of the fathers
when they realize that it is
their own sad art that paints this picture
its the cold kiss of death
I will kiss you this morning
in the big ditch in the field
you will stand beside in the cold dawn
its your own child's eyes you see looking up at you
its a crack, a thud
the kiss moves down the line
you fall
you see your child's eye move as you fall
stranger, in a long red cloak, standing before the fire, unannounced
dark deep eyes and brooding brows dark
velvet complexion
gather of blood
claiming souls for the record
the wall
the star in the window
the photo on the tomb stone
the telegraph from western union
stop
we are sorry
to report...
the cannon accidentally fired during maneuvers facing away from the range
the Yankees were drilling and doing range practice
I was looking at her and how beautiful she was in the evening sun
I saw the way the sun shone through the lace on her dress
when the ball arrived
oh sad arts, are the arts of war
the arts of crime and shame
innocence destroyed
God made insane
for God and country of thee I bleed
I am angry
you don't see the empty hours in a cell alone
you don't see your man hammering the nails into the God child's wrists
over and over
you never blame yourself
for accepting this
is your bomb
this is your fear and rage
this is your blind acceptance
there will always be wars
bullshit
you know any thing is possible with God
what do you want ?
fools
I'll not dance at your victory,
you slyly let them start,
you knew
and pushed the hate along
looked the other way a moment
You are the problem of hate
you are the fear, and greed
me, me, me, you whimper
my God
my country
my people,
the prophet,
the way
"them"
"those"
"they"
we are
you are not
Gods children
infidel Jew Christian Buddhist
Arapaho man
told the young men
there is only death in war
"it is only death+ he said
you choose a path that is a lie in the beginning
and death in the end,
beware
I don't have time for your lying worm tongues
you bitter hate baitor's
you know who you are
Rush and I-ah ttola
dogs
I am in front of you now
I stand ragged and torn with my old shopping cart
in front of your car
you sit on the horn,
you cant scare this old solider
I'll not move
I don't even know my own name
what is that sound?
I am yours
the Congress gave the military millions and millions
they gave me a ticket to Korea
do you know how red
blood is in the snow?
blood is almost black in moonlight
I see the frozen children
fallen men
the skinny dog valiantly guarding the old woman's pale torn body
black on white, in gray sad memories flicker on and off
curse me of course in your car at the cross walk
but you should know, I
am yours
I am your humanity
I am what you teach your children
every tribe a killer tribe
every flag a song of death
you weave this tapestry
of death and destruction
into all that you are
you are never free
from the blinding explosion
searing and tearing, shattering your life into tattered meat
words spoken by the red mouths of the leaders
and preachers
teachers of hate and destruction
always, somehow...incredibly
for God or in the name of the Prophet or with God's divine help....
I'll take my shattered mind now..thank you very much
out of your way
you drive on..go on
wondering what was wrong with that crazy old fool with the shopping cart
now you will know
I will tell you
I will seep into every thing you do
again and again you will see me
in a book
on the news, out the window
as gun shots ring out in the night we lie in the tall wet grass
it smells like snakes and is scratchy
when the rain came we did not move,
father said not to move
until he came back
he said, pretend this is a dream and you are asleep
be very still, do not call me if some one comes, do not move, close your eyes and do not answer them
unless they know your names
he said this very quickly
and in a whisper
he was trembling, we felt his hand on us shaking, then he ran
it was still and quiet
a wind came and the rain, sister moved close to me but made no sound
now we lie in the tall wet grass
many excited voices
then gun shots, screams, the sound of some one coming
tromping around
they stop and come over around us
sister doesn't move,
I don't move
someone laughs one time
then crack
crack
you will come with us now your children do not need you any more
I will settle into your dreams
it is different now
I grow in power every day
for as long as I stayed away
taking the hate and pain
gathering the sorrow and mindless grief of disbelief
the senseless tragedy
the couples locked in a death grip
having cut each others arteries staring
wild eyed at each other in victory
a vast horde came to me on fire
some coverd in oil some in gasoline
others came as ash, all in one quick moment
like dust they settled among the severed heads
all a gift from your little planet home
the poison men gather, with their white coats and microscopes, all the little frozen viles
anthrax and smallpox, so many deadly things to play with
they pile high the store room
the swords and knifes, all bloody and ringing with hate
clash in endless battle in the halls
all about the bullets and cannon shot fly
shredded flesh drifts down like snow
blinded bleeding eyes look on as countless voices cry out
the shutter of death trembles in your hart
I am real
I am here
I am yours
you can not put me away now
to do that you must agree
but
you love
your battleships, and confederate flags,
your fancy remote control airplanes
and exploding vests
and all those God damned silly hats
you are fools
with fire
little puney minds half formed
willing to follow any one
so easily
we kill them,
they stand quietly
some of them get sick,
some of them faint
its a little messy
its quick
and its easy
I have five hundred now
almost a record for a day !
the back hoe digs the ditch, then covers them up
, quickly it is done
one man turned at the last moment and spit
I shot him in both eyes
we laughed and laughed because I was so angry at him
the only thing is the smell
sometimes I can't get that blood smell off of me
I not hungry much any more either....
I would not tell anyone but I almost admire the man who turned when he felt the hot gun barrel at the
back of his head
he was quick
tomorrow we may finish them all, eight thousand men and boys
war crimes
in your face
six million Jews
two million Cambodians
numbers of countless thousands of ten and twenty
young men
all arrive shouting
death to the enemy, we will be victorious
just to feel a hand in mine
warm
just to connect this simple way
slips down the corridor
away to a forgotten day
as I recall the mystery of youth
I remember you
the poet grasps
at the scattered pages as the sword runs him through
the violin is smashed by a bit of shrapnel
flung by a shell from the sea
the twin boys are blown to smithereens in their stroller
in the holy land
the missile makers aim the end of the world at each other and snarl and spit
you don't think you are fools?
hindo voodo jap spick wop jerry limy reb and yank
talk and talk
big strong men
say they protect us all on all sides
of course
all the death and destruction they bring
with never ending patriotic songs
would you?
that I should leave you
close the book if that would end the story ?
however words live
they crawl and slither, distort and poison
this thinking glob of fat that is in your head,
needs to see
you own me
I am real
you can write no good in blood
all your joy is destroyed
the cities of light are empty
the raging cold warriors wonder the darkness
I bring them to you
so easily you give up your sons and husbands
daughters and te mother's of your children
to them
so easily you listen to the worn out explanation
it is the way of the world
it is the way of fools
everybody run
run to your side
grab a stone and run back
smash a head
now proclaim victory for
God
see it grows old
over and over
stupid men
I will rise up like the sun your eyes will open to the truth
these people who are allowed to kill
must be stopped
they are yours, you must understand this, see them know them, all of you
don't blame God or the devil
its you
I will not go back,
or leave you
or be quiet
any more
you must know every story before you are free of this nightmare
that every one must dream
I can tell you this, it was cold and damp
the little electric torch grew yellow, the air was heavy and wet
the sub settled onto the sandy bottom never to leave we watched the filament
glow orange
fade away, then darkness
you could hear the sub creak and shutter
popping from the pressure, then the seam split
ice water filled the darkness
sitting by the sea
the pretty girl felt a cold chill and settled into a sadness that left her hanging in a closet
you opened the door
so I shot you
so what? that's war
I will hold you by your hate
then
you sit at your dinner table
give thanks and ask for blessings
then explain why it is necessary to kill
then you turn to me
funny little man
and quite matter of factually explain why you hate Mexicans
you would shoot them all if you could
absolutely satisfied in your crazy way
this isn't make believe this is real life true
you are in hate you simple hard working family man
proclaimed conservative Christian Anglo brother
blood on your soul
come with me
you can't refuse
follow this path,
it is yours
you make it
follow it through your children
until it grows into death and destruction
this is real
kill for sand
stand on your own grave oh Jerusalem
war crimes
fools and imbeciles
war its self is a crime
i prosecute you all
nations sing your pretty songs
stand defiant before God,
justified, sanctified forgiven
for killing the sleeping child and the house cat
no
stand now, this is yours
drink this blood
it is what you do
peaceful and quiet just at the break of day, the trees are shrouded in mist
suspended in time the moment stands
before the thundering b52 slams into the hill exploding into a rolling fire ball
I am a child then
I am a child now
begging you to understand what you do
when you speak of hate
open the gate
loose this beast
unleash this tempest
this insanity transferred
around the circle of time
give in to this destruction,
embrace this passion
of love gone to hell
behold I am yours
who am I ?
war
hate
that flings a child snatched from his mother's arms into a well
and laughs
you can not understand
I am the new mother
listening to the rain on the roof and looking in wonder at the new babe in my arms
the night is quiet and peaceful
the terrible heat is broken
the air is cool and sweet
you do not understand
time falls into itself
it is, as it was, as it will be
you decide
I am before you in power and mystery
I am not easy
or pleasant
no
American reality television
splatted with the blood of an Afghan bride
would scream across the air waves into oblivion
you can not comprehend
(but you will)
see the blood stained dress?
the sad corpse ?
the insane groom?
and a room in hell for the architect of it?
you
don't get it yet?
hello
its your dollar
and your collage grad
your baby boy
sent off to school
at seventeen years old to be the next high priest of the Holy war
he has His father"s sword in his hand
the explosive vest
on his chest
your beautiful child
all crazy with jihad
you know he is yours
they all will die today
thank you
weep for this sad sundown
I see and so the profit is god
kaboom
it is done and I have run out of mercy
awake and see
feel the death you embrace in your complacency
it is your sad song
all the mothers and fathers
concern is there for the children
when they take them to the temple to be blessed
or baptized
and they dip them in the holy river
or pass them over the backs of twenty cows
all for the blessings of a good life
property, love and peace
a different song
a different chant
some expect to live again
some forever
no-one looks to die
just like that
on an airplane
going home
or to see grandmother
darkness
out the window
on to the tarmac
shot to make a point
frozen in time
suspended in the Nazi ice water
survival duration experiment
you shoved me under when i tried to get out of the brine pool
the absolute moment
held me in complete terror
helpless
dark came
quietly floating down
don't ask for forgiveness
I wont to remember you
only the sun singing on the river
I could free you if I remember
but I don't,
it was to dark
help me understand this
I was nailing shingles on my barn
Mary had fixed a nice breakfast
we made love in the big feathered bed
(she wanted to)
any way, I was about to hammer a nail into a shingle
when it went red and dark
all was a ringing
I remember falling into the hay rake
the tongs run through me
the wind out of the west had the smell of gun smoke on it
I heard Mary scream
what in the world?a snipers job is to kill
he was a sympathizer
so I shot him off his barn
one less enemy
fly before me
wind of rage and revenge
fly before me
fire and gunshots
fly the dreams of destruction turned into day light realities
you stand and wonder how it came to this ?
fly before me all the words
aimed at twisting hearts of men,
one against the other
pay now
the dance is over
you will stand before the fire of truth and....
be seen no more
I am
every day and night
I am
every river and sea
I am the wind
I will not be silenced
you will
the wailing of the misery
in the center of your brain
may still your mouth
you will see the sad eyed child
Oh dreamers of Babylon
wise men of Atlantis
builders of pyramids
and space shuttles
formers of constitutions
and writers of symphonies
can you not figure this out?
a sniper on a roof in Syria
killed my teen age girl
own this bullet
who are you??????
tell me where it said in the Bible
there will always be wars ?
God is all powerful
go figure
You want to have your enemy
Enemies make you into somebody
you would not be without them
both of you
jump up and shout
, stand up and spit and curse
spin your hatred into a mass of moving people
out down and over
the morning smells like death
it is all yours
God does not force this on you
although you would like to think that something else is at work here
it is you puny little men,
puffed up proud women
little oldsword wielding stone heaving talk show radiohosts
you
get it
get it now!!!!
its all the same
you know it
it smells like death and decay
but it starts with patriotic songs and marching bands
you must join in, the mother land calls you
I bore you? I will engulf you!
you will listen forever
if need be
awake
I am alive and powerful beyond your measure
I come to shake your world
victory
sweet victory
the Huns are stopped
we have won
the North is triumphant
we are independent the Spanish run like dogs
victory
today
you don't want the price ?
you don't want the truth of how hollow it all really is ?
it is empty
a shallow shell
if victory is when
someone makes new rules
and builds new armies
you will answer to them
they will say
"go kill, and protect us"
it is in our nations interest
or a holy war
or oil
land
or something like a line on a map
but a little boy and girl will die
their mother will weep for the rest of time
the big strong men may get all dressed up in fancy uniforms
long robes and vestments
turbans and long silky beards
and speak so elegantly
of the heroes of the past
and the sacrifices of soldiers
his honor
his Excellency
his woopasness
the President,
your Holiness
the general
they meet in war councils
in back rooms
they plan
with maps and figures
they move little toy navys around
and drop toy atomic bombs
on a little toy flat world
I have come to take them all to Hell
the Hell that they construct
one by one they will find me standing by the royal bed
dog leash and collar in hand
my twisted limbs and bleeding eyes are, beyond a nightmare
so
you will now visit your handiwork
I will own your mind
your spirit cannot hide any longer
PEACE has come to claim you as its own
I am alive in the cosmic world of energies
I will come weaving and darting
dancing into your films
singing in your music
shouting in your streets
I will reach up out of pictures in a book
turn the corner in a city and you will see me
face to face
I will name you
and claim you
I will tell your children the truth
they will be sick to know and wish to hide
but you will not stop me with your guns and lies
you can not
because I am yours
and I have the net
and music
and poets
and artists to do my bidding
I am no fantasy,
look around
listen
you can feel me coming
isn't it interesting that gold and lead are so similar ?
they are both heavy and soft
can be hammered very thin
they both endure
they also both kill
they shatter the land
empower the destroyers of peace
they enslave and seduce
I give you both for your last meal
I tried to understand
I studied and listened to the old men
as they explained to me
why I should go into the market and explode
you can take everything away from me
but you will not take my voice
I did not see that I would know the infidel, from the faithful
so I was told Alla would know
I was given to martyrdom
to do this work
it was the path from the moment of my birth
I was still pure having not even having known a woman
I had yet to shed blood
I was raised in THE way
how else could it be that I stand in front of the council
to make this video
if not the will of Alla ?
soon
every direction I turn, leads down the alleyway into the market
not towards my "self
the old men approve
they know
the children whisper
the woman press against me in the throng before prayers
it grows quiet as I enter
the best food is put before me
it is the will of Ala
the night is long and quiet
sleep is a mean friend that only says hello and then leaves
I pray and pray
I read the Prophet's words
Who am i?
I am death
bloody death
People
I am exploding
you are
screaming
bleeding out
in the street
shredded
thrown burning
stumbling blind
blinking out
quiet jerking twitching
death
for the glory of God ?
really?
child of destruction
you came to purify the world
your vest wasn't so heavy
"I was surprised " you tell me now
"it was warm to the touch
taken from its hiding place
on the roof under the tiles
it had a funny smell like
something new it was wrapped
around me and I felt it hold me
in its grip its complete power and
authority to kill was mine The little wire
dangling was all it needed to call in the
will of Alla from the cell phone
the tile floor was clean and smooth
from ages of bare feet
orange and yellow, with blurred boarders
the water was cool and smelled sweet so
I washed my feet slowly I tell you my ears
were ringing and I felt light and
the tea they gave me was working
I was very glad and knew
this was the hour so down a back road
went after I put on the Burke
It seemed the will of Alla
so I let this idea take me to the market
and I walked into the crowd and
an old woman looked right at me and cursed!
she told me I was a fool and that you stumbled and swayed
like a hash eater and to be gone............................... ..
so.......
I pressed the button and nothing happened
it was the will of Alla
the solders come down the ally way
the crowd opened before them
they looked like big insects
with big black eyes and ant antenna,
all hard edged and mean
when they drew near
I was lifted into the air just a little above them
I saw the helmets fly off, their i big black eyes shatter
I was a ringing bell !
then all was still but for the ringing and darkness
it was done
the old woman had a bolt buried deep in her skull
another victory for Alla ?
then you snapped my mind closed "
I will pry it open with my bloody hands
hide
I will be behind you,
laughing that way you know
deny the truth and wake up with an old woman calling you
come
look into the hole in her head
as she twists in the wind from the explosion
she was your old grandmother gone to market
to get some figs I know
you must sit beside her corpse and count the maggots
until I set you free
that will be when the last story is told
listen to this in every language
watch it find its way out of the ancient darkness into the light of the moment
you encounter the dark power of blind obedience to hateyou have no excuse now
, no place to hide
no old man to listen to
no God, of forgiveness to lie for you
you are the death in the valley now
you are the fear
and the rape
some part of you will deny anything to do with Africa
or Sudan
or Mexico
do you understand who I am?
I am all of you who let them do the killing
all you mothers brothers sisters and wives
girl friends and fathers, uncles aunts
and teachers
preachers rabbi and mullahs
who see them off and cry
send them toothpaste and socks
its their duty
Who am I with my sad bleeding eyes to tell you
its yours ?
the evening news may help you
run from the truth,
they do this for you.
it is is cold,
ice is every where
the door on the little shed swings on its leather hinges
the goats are all gone,
nothing moves but the swing of the door
in the house the hearth is cold
the chimney moans
the old photograph looks down in silence at the sunlight in the dust
on the table dinner places are still set
the circles of light
trace the bullet holes in the roof and walls
in the spring the rats will finish cleaning the bones
it was just a short five day war
it was over in five minutes
this scene is alive
the screams will reverberate forever in the cold air
as the old man
clings to the old woman
the goats roasted well over the fire made from the fence
for mother Russia
all of you will be contacted
each in you own day
Now I will not rest
until every grave is opened
and every wretched lie is put before you written
so you can make no mistake
what foolish nonsense brings me to this path
you will know me
the great gray battleship bathed in the early morning sunlight
the long graceful sheer line
toweringtowering guns
tons of steel and brass
all the drawings, calculations machine figures, builders and mathematical wizards
configuration
a massive undertaking
for killing
and destruction
yes
are we free from this
no
I see the memorial park, with its bombers and submarine
it is beside the great ship in the sun
the big jet fighter on the sign
every one of you has the seed that grows this fruit of conflict
let them gather the memories of reality
war memorials should be awash in blood and shattered bones
the sounds of burning drowning men
All who gather around, and listen to the fire starters
those crafty speakers who begin the killing
with simple words
will see the blood that dribbles down their chins
as they build their wars
your eyes will see now
I will get behind your mind and illuminate the screen
if you have read this
it is done
you may laugh and trash
the page
then you will see it is yours
you gave it to your children
the world has ton es of this junk
all the schools that were not built
hospitals that did not happen
missiles, biochemical warfare labs, lazier ray particle cannons....3 billion
a linear rail projectile accelerator
a few more microwave ultra distance brain cookers
they all cling to me
they are a moving mountain of artillery pieces, airplanes, and ships
factory upon factory bombs bullets and land mines
the forges and anvils to hammer out all the bloody tools of war,
as far as the eye can see
they pile up in all direction
I will give you a memorial !
a mountain of bones as big as the moon
to shine down on you at night
your leaders should have a rotten stinking nest of vipers snapping at your leaders heads when they
talk of war
you holy men
these fires
you
SHOULD BE MOST AFRAID OF ALL
blood will come as tears, from your eyes
for all of your cunning lies
I am truth

I will slay you
the nightmares will begin
they will dance in your heads as you pray
people will fear your eyes
they will despise your face
you will not hide from me
the good people will shout you down
the righteous
the kind
the wise
they will shut you away
in a desolate land to live your lives out
no longer the slayers of peace loving people
I am shaking your world
snarling across your land
hero time is over
reality is pain, death destruction
all the crazy requests
please universe join in
help us win this war
kill
I will give you that answer now
open the door to a stranger who will not leave
until the last warrior tribe is gone
gone
the lie is untold
we got the boy a dog
his mama thinks
I won't let him walk behind me
I will see where he goes
and follow in his steps
he loves the dog
they slept together the first night
and he follows his dog carefully
and there are forgotten mines
mama forgot about them
for boy and dog it was love
mother saw the explosion
she ran past the bloody spot and up the mountain
she sleeps in the deep valley floor
the wolves had a fine meal
yesterday my prison Guard told me
now there is only grief
so quiet, so complete
time stands still
when we danced in the moon light
when we laughed at the babies smiles
we planted the spring garden
we moved the goats up the mountain
we did not know
the war had started
it will never end
it can not be undone
it is your war
I am sad
blistering wretched pain beyond hell
complete insanity
to turn on my own wife and son
slay them in their bed
while they looked at me in terror
I was in Afghanistan when it began
I knew the moment
it snapped
the boy danced as the bullets hit him
wrong place
wrong time
wrong move
collateral damage
he jerked and twisted on the ground
I shot him once more
still as the sun
the day stands fixed forever
I am here
something came undone
I was turned lose to run wild
I turned and walked away
to my childhood
the cold river in summer
swimming and fishing,
the mist on the river at dawn
my father and uncle, cooking breakfast
, fish and grits
the sandy beach in the bend
the sip of whiskey in the evening,
the fire turned to starlight
explosions
ripping into me
smashed down with unearthly pain
the boy and I
bleeding in the alley
departed this world
he did not return,
I did
now I stand looking at the bloody bed
you can smell death in your very air
war
I am in your children s eyes
they ask
why?
You tell them
to save the world
or claim our peoples land......
on both sides
our people
have been hating and fighting
for generations
foolish monkey
nonsense
I stand and hold the hand of a thousand dead children
they are your pretty work mister war master
missal builder
sitting in the basement packing the powder
drilling out the plate,
setting the timing fuse
, putting in the nuts and nails
if I only had a bouncing Betty
War is made by the hands of men
their minds at an accepted insane occupation
A quiet land awaits you
it is an absolute mind numbing consuming hate
it awakens you in the night
it is thrilling,
powerful
your eyes snap open
your senses race
every whisper of sound is amplified
the distant twinkle of a light, moving
who is coming ?
the tracer rounds come in first
the smash of glass and wood, a thousand rounds
slam you
fear and hate have done their job
up against the wall in tattered shreds the map explains it
hate grabs you,
it takes everything else away
you now belong to the white robed fantasy of the clan
around the fire light,
same subject,
hate
crazy fire cross,
some super twisted idea of Christmas

[saw]

very ambitious project which is a lot to ask of any reader,.....but the passion is there throughout....my first thought as I got into it was the Stones song, Sympathy for the Devil..

I've read anti-war poems of my own at peace gatherings, and I think this would work well with a series of readers...many different voices would add to the power....would highlight the horrible details that are in fact what war really is.

I am a veteran of the Navy, Vietnam Era....though was never in the jungle...attached to submarine base...I joined to stay out of the mandatory army sentence for all 18 year old males

All my friends either came home in a box or had profound physical and mental problems...died from complications of Agent Orange, have so much shrapnel in their bodies they can't get an MRI.. have constant ringing in their ears from mortar explosions....etc. etc..........all the PTSD

was particularly drawn to the lines:

"you choose a path that is a lie in the beginning
and death in the end"

very poignant

perhaps I will look for some of my war poetry and post it here....

You may want to think of breaking this up into a series of poems....it's a lot to take in all at once...but nevertheless...is a righteous effort

[Ghost]

“War was always here. Before man was, war waited for him. The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner.”
― Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West

[leafsailors ghost]

so

[mnaz]

“War was always here. Before man was, war waited for him. The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner.”
― Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West

Yeah yeah, yadda yadda McCarthyism.

And then there's evolution.

[Ghost]

“War was always here. Before man was, war waited for him. The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner.”
― Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West

Yeah yeah, yadda yadda McCarthyism.

And then there's evolution.

I am not sure if Joseph or Cormac would appreciate this comment
the least, lol.

[mnaz]

They can both pucker up.

[leafsailors ghost]

drop the subject forget the work start an argument. yup

[mnaz]

You're right. As for the work, I echo pretty much everything that saw said about it.

That quote just hit me as kind of a crappy response to this particular work, and the considerable amount of thought and effort that went into it. But you're right; I probably shouldn't have gone there.

[Doreen Peri]

When I first read this on another site, I thought the same exact thing Saw said about it and told you I thought it was masterful stuff which could be performed onstage using multiple voices. I'd love to see it broken into parts. It really is some fine writing!

As for the quote about war having been around forever, I don't know who Cormac McCarthy is other than a quick search telling me he was a novelist and playwright but so what? Hah! I mean, to me, stating that war has been around forever and implying that it will always be around is a ridiculously weak statement essentially stating that it's not worth even trying for peace because it's not going to happen. Ridiculous!

I believe the human race will evolve to become a peaceful species and I truly believe we are headed in that direction.

Your poem reflects the horrors of war on so many levels and I look forward to seeing it performed one day on stage by multiple voices. MANY people need to hear this work. It's good writing, David. And even more than that, it's important!

[leafsailors ghost]

I Am A Poet:

Listen
Its the thousand frogs in the spring night
cascading orchestration of the universes song
I bring you my confused but sincere love
it is all I have to offer
then perhaps in my anger
at love abused
you will see the fire of it.
I am a poet
some one who knows the underpass companions
honor and dignity in the forgotten of folks
now noble in my memory
known them well
no truer friends
come listen I am a poet
I do not ask forgiveness from God
I simply turn to the mystery with grateful love and trust
who are we
little thin dreams among the smoke of the camp fire
I am a poet
come sit with me
let me get my old guitar
come I will play for you

Thank you for the encouragement Yes ..Any one wants to put this ,or part of it, on stage or film or what ever . go for it!!
please !!!!!!!!, we need to weep for our killing world, then pour energy into love .