Our life is a chain of sin and expiation controlled by a destiny that cannot be understood - Josef Goebbels
man's war
machine
is on
the screen
in breaking
propaganda
news
with a clean
with a clean
cut
man
embedded
for pay
to input
and output
the data live
and the data dead
as received
and not
received
about
the cruising thing
now
on
its blasted way
to
paint the sin
by
numbers
its cross hairs
expiating
on the screen
that is
unless
the screen
blacks out
as it is apt
to do
and
suddenly
we all return
suddenly
we all return
to the current
expert
bath chair
general
star of the glory show
a salami theorist on the chain of death
curiously eager
with airbrushed
candour
to pronounce
the score to date
that is
the current score
that is
the current score
this side of truth
as you will see
my son
he quietly coughs
off mike
into cupped hand
to be interrupted
by village women
who found
a boy
a boy
who was undone
by fire of the friendly kind
hard destiny
and yet
there was just one truth
a truth reported
in the heat of it
that may hide the truth
the cold collateral truth
about the drone
about the dawn
when it
exploded
in a place of dust and sand
upon
a blurred gray square
that was a kindergarten
school
or perhaps
a children's hospital
in someone else's land
in someone else's
ruined land
upon the map
upon the right
split
of the screen
the harmful
elements were long gone
and another box
was ticked
and so it goes
for god is with us
and not with the sinners
as it is writ
in the holy book
praise be to him
who leads us
to victory
in all
man's wars
in him we trust
again in spite
of pain
amen
in him we trust
again in spite
of pain
amen
You have it.
ReplyDeleteA pitiful world where compromise is unknown.
Thanks Heron. The only sign of comprise is compromising evidence which is generally covered up.
DeleteJust about the most depressing poem I have ever read - but every word of it true.
ReplyDeleteDepressing to read and depressing to write. The only bright spot on the horizon the flare of a so-called intelligent weapon.
DeleteNothing much changed since Goya's day.
Deletestairs above
ReplyDeletethe 'cities of the plain'
brighter steps
the rainbow promise
Deletehad nothing to say
about depleted uranium