Listen to this poem using the player above. The music is “Down By The Salley Gardens,” performed on tin whistle by Jason Crane.
Another Song For Occupations
Walt didn’t mean invaders
he meant good work, done well
not camo-clad crusaders
turning Gaza into hell
not Kabul and not Baghdad
or next to Kandahar
a mother or a granddad
when is the bridge too far?
Walt thought of driving carts
of crossing on the ferry
hat doffed to gentler arts
eating, drinking, merry
not strafed by chuckling guns
the toys of discontent
not being forced to run
or tortured to repent
Walt never dreamt of walls
cutting parent off from child
obscuring blood relations
casting friends into the wild
although he’d been through war time
had soothed the soldiers’ pains
he’d thought that there’d be more time
to reap those hard-won gains
but now the jobs he spoke of
are gone, sailed overseas
Walt’s song for occupations
has faded on the breeze
Thank you for this. Definitely the first poem I have read either inspired by or entirely about the WikiLeaks video. The 4th stanza is great.
Thank you for reading it and for the kind words.
Jason,
This is sooo good and well written!
Pamela
I’m not even sure how to approach my feelings about the video and all around it yet. Thank you for putting so much into words.
@Jason: Thanks for being here. I know just what you mean.
@Wayne: I appreciate your comments.
politics…jazz….and poetry all good…..nicely done and thanks for sharing your words
I appreciate seeing that I was not the only napowrimo participant moved to write about this. Also, I quite appreciate the different perspective you took. I think it’s so important to humanize our soldiers even as we consider what is being asked of them.
Thanks, Chanda.