(for Etienne Patrice Kevin Mallard, who always cheered for Colonel
Mathieu and his shades, and, of course, for Liam)
Deja vu all over again. Some asshole from Texas is sending 'Merican boys
and girls to do what Asian boys and girls should never do.
Like a steward at the Last Supper
Poor boy prayed for souls of sacred mercenaires and Paras
drunk or dead in Paris hotels, Times Square dives,
after Algiers, after Dien Bien Phu
The secret army crawled home sans hope sans God without love.
On troop trains, the French Left spat on the wounded,
sang The Internationale
and got laid like lords.
Little old children pinch our striding heroes
in rubble and shelled groceries:
a glint of epaulet gild, silver sunglass
might sting liberty into their numb nerves
set them to sing our anthems by dawn's early light—
smiling for a sandwich or a wave of flag—
War need not be grim
with a good song "Rising" like a Phoenix Program up the charts,
GI Brucie born inna U S A, ese? Prince Madonna Springsteen Janet Tupac
Hendrix- at- Woodstock Shakur alive-alive-oh-Bob Marley-oh-Rise up
fallen fighters rise and take your stand again . . . rock on!
I recall myself, bold Brendan, glimpsing Ginsberg suck CS gas in with
every OM Padme OM
comforting shaking kids at Yale as cops and Guard beat girlsboys
with billies batons blackjacks rifle butts
and we picked up jagged rocks cursed tossed,
hard.
Hard.
We soft sad raggy recruits of revolution that was not
televised
in those salad days of love fear and rage,
"fried chicken hanging from our mouths" as Last Poets prophesied.
Nineteen seventy
dead on the ground.
Now, these latter days, boots on the ground
chanting proud hail bloody marys, Rapture rap,
in a Sunday sun bright as Easter rain
scared troops from America,
hiphop reserves,
Represent: no-pain, hoo-ah!
tramp on tramp on
Islam is was will be but
Knights of Christ march
Muhammed wept
they have set the world aflame
Abraham wept
and they give their lifeblood freely
Moses wept
for the glory of His name
Jesus wept
there's a great white general leading
Virgin Mary weeps
peace be unto you
America!
Judas wept
Iraq!
peace be unto you
priests and jihadis
The Mahdi!
The Expected One!
blessings and peace be upon him
Jesus wept!
there is no God
your President is
Insane
but God
your President
is insane
all praise due unto him
your President is insane
Remember the Alamo!
Remember Mogadishu!
Remember Jenin.
Remember New York.
Remember Fallujah.
Remember the dead.
Remember the dead.
Remember the dead.
Jesus.
Remember.
word from the war world
alright ma
war time
i am alright ma
war world war
ma!
i
am
all
right.
word.
Bill Nevins
From Green Left Weekly, May 5, 2004.
Visit the Green Left Weekly home page.