I believe that we must protect ourselves from terrorism. However, our definition of terrorism is too narrow. Terrorism does not reside in a single country. It is not just al Qaeda, though that is the most recent brand of terrorism that we in America focus on for justifiable reason. Terrorism resides within, and terrorism resides without. As Jesus said, and I'm paraphrasing, because his exact words are two thousand years old, and several languages removed, "cast out the plank in your own eye before you attempt to remove the splinter from your brother’s."*
Okay, the preamble is over, and I move on to my (sort of okay) attempt at poetry.
Nine Eleven Again - My Birthday
2009 - stormy morning and
Double capitalist phallus
No more.
2001 – brilliant azure and
Mighty towers stand and
The hell pirates create angels and
declare war in the name of God!
Almost three-thousand dead;
Americans and
Don't forget
All those other
Citizens of this Earth -
No more.
Now 65 year-old Medicare man -
Just like Isaac saw it,
I saw it,
Religious jihad -
Again, I listen and watch the nightmare unfold!
Not like Isaac!
No grandchildren at my feet
No son and daughter in the next room
My America forbade marriage and children.
She still fights to save herself from my people.
My heart,
Full bloom American Beauty
Petals and drop of blood,
Sun-glisten,
Crystalline light – flash!
Preamble to black clouds and soot.
Just as those who were lost are hers –
So are we…
Hers.
Sons and daughters,
Brothers and sisters,
Husbands and wives as well,
Unable to be!
Eight years later –
America sends sons and daughters
To their deaths!
Don’t ask, don’t tell!
We are all God’s children!
The Muslim jihadist, the Christian crusader
Gay, straight
Democrat, Republican
Capitalist, Communist
Woman, man
Black, white
Home, other
East, West
Worldwide centrist and opposition mythology!
Fear, nothing but fear
Where love should be!
Three thousand dead -
No. Not three thousand, but
Three thousand and Thirteen hundred thousand Iraqis dead!
How many thousands more in Afghanistan?
And, Over five-thousand more of our own sons and daughters
Dead!
No more!
Though towers no longer stand!
al Qaeda still stands!
All of you,
Everyone,
We are all to blame!
Shame!
*Yes, I reversed the order of splinter and plank.
2 comments:
John,
Happy birthday! And thank you for a beautiful poem. I marked the anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy on my blog by writing about Father Mychal Judge, Father Mychal Judge, the “gay saint of 9/11” who died in service as chaplain to the firefighters that fateful day.
I love the way that you weave together capitalist culture of the World Trade Center and discrimination against gay and lesbian people.
I appreciate how you include the number of dead on the “other” side -- the Iraqi and Afghan people. I always look for those numbers, but rarely can find them.
This part --
We are all God’s children!
The Muslim jihadist, the Christian crusader
Gay, straight
Democrat, Republican
Capitalist, Communist
Woman, man --
Reminds me of the words of the Bible (Galatians 3:28): “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Sadly, many wars have been fought in the name of Christ or Mohammad or other names for That Which Cannot Be Named, the One in whom we are all one.
Amen.
KittKatt,
Thank you for your thoughtful comments, especially the connection between Galatians 3:28 and my little birthday poem.
God bless,
John
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