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Poetry
Freedoms Song,( Sally)
By maipenrai
07 July 2006
Iraq/Afghanistan???
The aftermath?


Democracy,Democracy
I love your Freedom Song

and down in the ally
where Sally met Ali
there's nothing but blood and shit
old mens farts and whisky sour
and someone's fading dreams
that were never there at all.

and as I look in the mirror
I just see yesterday
for today's just a haze
in my tangled jangled mind
and I have just made Sally pay.

they sent me away with my Freedom Flag
my bayonet and my gun
we would fight with all our might
for what was right and make
those evildoers pay,
but it's not that way,
no it's not that way
in the deserts and the slums.

for we blasted them and they
blasted us and everyone had to pay,
when I lost my legs
I wished I was dead
but the man said,no son
your an hero don't you know
and they shipped me back home
with the blind and the armless
to begin my life anew.

and poor old Sally
she mearnt no harm
just a laugh and a joke that's all

when she said to me "hey crippled Joe,
you still get it up or what"
and I saw red as I slit her throat
amongst the garbage, the shit and the blood.

and I still love Democracy
still sing that Freedom Song
when I am high on the drugs
they give me in here
the one's that make me dribble
and sometimes at night
I see old Sally
a laughing and smiling at me.


Reviews
Great poem
Written by growingpains (14 comments posted) 8th July 2006
Always a hard subject to tackle,reminded me of a Wilfred Owen poem from ww1 that started off talking about how noble and honourable to die for ones king and country and then went on to express the filth, horror and waste and reality of war and its aftermath and pointlessness in solving anything.Here you write about the fighting under the banner of democracy and cleverly portray the ugly reality." and down in the ally,where sally met ali......", 
absolutely brilliant verse,.This is one of the best anti-war poems I have read for a long time,you should send it to a few polititions,great stuff that needs saying and you certainly said it,thankyou!Don't ever stop writing ,this one is a gem and I am surprised more people haven't reviewed it.
thanks
Written by maipenrai (784 comments posted) 9th July 2006
GP,thank you so much for your kind comments. 
 
Bernie

Written by MikeMorris (106 comments posted) 10th July 2006
I only wish this work could be made known universally. 
But then again,WW1 poetry didn't stop ww2,did it? Or all the rest.... 
Still, a great poem. Thanks for it. 
Mike
Thanks
Written by maipenrai (784 comments posted) 10th July 2006
Thanks Mike for your comments and for taking the time. 
 
Bernie
Makes you think...
Written by mishmish (389 comments posted) 15th July 2006
...what the hell is war really about!  
 
Always the innocent that pay, always the lost ones that stray, as we carelessly throw life away. 
 
This is a really powerful poem. I agree with Mike, such a poem should be made known across the world. 
 
You've encapsulated the victims of war at all different levels...the collateral damage that carries on being seen as acceptable. 
 
I can't say I enjoyed this poem (it makes uncomfortable reading), but it is well structured and well written with inner power. 
 
Well done! 
 
best wishes 
 
mishmish

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