Venetian youth
enjoying an evening in Paris
- when they struck
with their bombs
and their guns
and Valeria was killed
with others who were there
in the city of love.
In the city of Hemingway's Moveable Feast
they gorged on the blood of the innocent young
for the sake of their cause
which cannot be right
in the sight
of their God
whatever they think.
Valeria's remembered
and will be
for always
- they won't meet her
in heaven
for they are now damned.
They don't know.
ReplyDeleteI like the personal tribute on the entrance to the football stadium.
DeleteThey risk their souls . . . for what?
DeleteIf there ever was a bogeyman for the 21st century it would have to be They. Sometimes they have a name of sorts like IS (or ISIS or ISIL or Daesh) but they are always amorphous and that’s what so scary about them. They exist mostly in our imaginations and our imaginations know what scares us the most. A wild animal on the prowl is scary but it has limits and mostly if we lock our doors and keep our heads down we’ll be safe. They don’t have limits. Good poem, effective.
ReplyDeleteThey, they, they, they and they. Thank you Jim.
DeleteIt all seems so mindless. I love the poem Gwil - it captures the imagination. There is no doubt Valeria will be remembered long after they will. That repeated use of they adds weight Gwil to the whole idea.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think 'they' is a good word in the circumstances so there's no need to credit them with a title.
DeleteAnd so often; they that may 'defend,' will be considered by those that refer to themselves as having 'the only humane view,' as vicious primitives.
ReplyDelete