POETS AGAINST WAR

Sunny Afternoon

Sun shines brightly as my daughter lies in the grass
quiet afternoon in suburban Seattle
her hair shiny, her skin smooth, fingers small
easy lift of her chest as she naps in the yard
I cover her with a parasol; her skin might burn,
I will do anything to protect her

Sun shines brightly as my daughter lies in the grass
the sound is deafening in suburban Baghdad
her hair matted with blood, skin torn, fingers ripped
her chest heaves as she struggles to stay alive
I cover her with a blanket, her skin burned
I could not protect her…..

Mike Barabasz - Poets Against War

FALLEN

What if the leaves
had faces
when they fell

and then
were swept away
like leaves,

forgotten souls
too many
to be mourned?

Ice Age

Like snow,
the soft, insidious snow,
it covers mound and hole alike,
squirrel's nest and snake's nest,
rhinestone and pearl.

Like the snow,
the beautiful, blinding snow,
it whirls in the air
and covers our eyes
before dropping from sight.

Like the snow it freezes,
and locks the earth
in its icy grip;

what thaw will come
to save this barren world?

Phil Kirsch - Poets Against War

Signing Statement

Given half a chance, I like to think
that I’d break every rule that I’ve
taught my son and go on with a shot
to the president’s jaw.  It might even
be worth what the Secret Service
would offer as a reward.
But it would only be a temporary fix,
a fleeting answer to a workbook of questions.
Given an even better chance, though,
I’d suffocate him with a rag full of
chloroform and re-locate him to the
dank solitude of my unfinished basement,
sustaining him with government cheese
and week-old bread, sour milk and soup
from dented rusty cans.
I would like to say that I wouldn’t
torture him, wouldn’t try to break
his over-sized spirit, would rise
above my baser instincts.  I would
like to say these things but I reserve
the right all the same.  Consider it a
signing statement, of sorts.

Eric Evans -Poets Against War