Collateral Damage

[]A faceless child bleeds in the street.[] His~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~arm Flung fifteen feet from his body He watches flies drink the sugary blood. The~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~shit In his pants the last warmth Ere he takes the final breath. []A faceless child bleeds in the street.[] As salacious cheers soar As politicians point perfunctory fingers As TV news reaches sedentary viewers. He is the evil execrable enemy Menace to the plastic bubble The crown jewel of the “Free World”. []A faceless child bleeds in the street.[] B~~r~~e~~a~~t~~h~~s~~~~~~~~~~~~~t~~u~~g As he whispers winsome wishes for mother Who somewhere lies lifeless in rubble Blood~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~d~r~i~b~b~l~e~s From his quivering lips Staining his teeth the colour of victory. []A faceless child bleeds in the street.[] Dying in the name of democracy Necessary means to necessary end Our boys scored another victory. So wear that flag proudly, soldier Drop that bomb for your country, soldier Divest the world of dishonorable devilry, soldier. A faceless child bleeds in the street.This is probably the harshest poem I've posted to date. This is not the usual kind of highly polished poem I would post. This is one of those poems written in the heat of the moment - in a time of strong emotion. It is posted in its origional crude form with very little revision ... I think my feelings at the time show through best this way. This poem refers to the tendancy to dehumanize our "enemies". We never refer to the human souls we kill, just those faceless and inhuman foes. "Collateral Damage". The sad thing is, people fall for this rehtoric all over the world. Killing should not be so easy. Devalueing human life should not be so easy! *UPDATE* So sue me, I revised it a little. The constant repettion of the old one was driving me insane! Written April 3rd, 2002 © on Apr 04 2002 02:03 AM PST   0 • 6 • 11