Newspoem.

"All the News That Rhymes"

The Daily Poem

Weather: mild

Distribution: 5 Printed in Urbana FREE

the metaphors fail because they make it too perfectly clear
nonviolence, which cannot be enforced
it is possible to simply not think about it
try to finish your coffee without blinking
allow yourself to be overwhelmed by your own problems, health, finances
whom did you elect and what did you expect?
there is a lion hungrier than malnutrition: war
but why isn't there now a run on newspapers, groceries, the shelves stripped of all information?
is there some deep failure to know which country this is
or to see the year emblazoned on the calendar?
why is it a darkness encroaching this dancing match on all sides?
not to seem doomed: dance on, match, dance on
it cannot be you there, yes you
you know what i'm talking about, right?
there is a country and it has declared another country the enemy
and the reasons it gives are hardly convincing
failure to comply with allowing its military to be searched for the same chemical weapons
that are owned by its neighbors on all sides and which weapons furthermore
pose no threat whatsoever to this country which furthermore
has enough VX nerve gas to kill the entire world population several times over
stored in fact a couple hours drive from here in indiana
which is not always downwind
as demonstrated in 1991, the deadly weapons are our own:
friendly fire and gulf war syndrome
let's get all those chemical weapons out of Indiana first,
and then worry about the weapons that pose no threat to us
do you believe in pinpoint accuracy?
do you believe that bombs are precise?
logic threatens to shortcircuit
burned through by idiot diplomacy
every statement they make is ridiculous
"big countries should not attack smaller countries."
"the U.S. military does not pose a threat to Iraq."
"their chemical weapons are a threat to innocent people."
you are reduced to childlike awe and wonder
by the degree to which you are being condescended to
and finally cynicism, citizenship
and the shrug is rehearsed

 


Newspoetry at Spineless Books