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By Fledermaus
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18 April 2007 |
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America's heart bleeds
A lunatic went wild
Think of the people's needs
Of those who lost their child
The world was horrified
About so much bloodshed
Innocent people died
In a cruel rain of lead
Without forgetting the pain
Of the parents of the slain
I think of another place
Where this is a normal case
Many children were killed
Again much blood was spilled
On Baghdad's streets... |
Hi Batty
Written by BrianRobertNeal (1195 comments posted) 18th April 2007 | A very tricky issue. But I agree with you there is no difference between the Lunatic who killed the students and those that target children in Iraq.
However in the latter case, in other circumstances, they would be doing the same anywhere across the world.
Thought the change of rhyme pattern in Verse three was effective. ABAB flows where AABB breaks into two halves
The final verse works as one comes to an abrupt stop. |
Written by stevetroster (1398 comments posted) 18th April 2007 | Bravo.
It's so easy to turn a blind eye when it's happening so far from home. I can still remember seeing the photographs of bombs on aircraft carriers ready to be dropped on Iraq. The bombs had messages written on them! They thought that it was clever, payback time! Yet I just thought that it was tasteles.
I do feel sorry for the parents of the kids in the US, but at the end of the day it's their constitution that allows it to happen, and it is a drop in the ocean compaired to the grief inflicted globaly (and yes, I know that my government support it as well, which is why I didn't say 'the grief they inflict').
Again bravo, I shall now climb down off my box. |
Written by Fledermaus (3159 comments posted) 18th April 2007 | Thanks Brian and ST,
Brian: I agree that the circumstances in Iraq are rather different, but doesn't that make it all the more tragic? In the USA something like that is an incident, in Iraq it happens every day. I wonder if there is any family left over there which has not lost a son or daughter in the violence.
ST: Unfortunately our government is eager to join any war started by the USA as well. It often reminds me of Muhammed Ali, who"ain't got no quarrel with those Vietcong" or that Irish song that suggests to "Let Englishmen fight English wars." As far as I know Serbia, Afghanistan and Iraq never attacked Holland, so why did our F16s have to bomb them? |
Written by wltshr (300 comments posted) 18th April 2007 | Nicely written and well put.
Perhaps the title should have been: "Just another bloody day." |
Written by Fledermaus (3159 comments posted) 19th April 2007 | Thanks wltshr.
Indeed it could have been, but the idea was to get people thinking about Virginia first.
Strangely enough the most shocking news I saw yesterday weren't bloody corpses in Baghdad, nor mourning students in Virginia, but rather a small kid having to run for her life in the midst of a gang war in Brazil...
Somehow pictures of people who just escaped violence have a much bigger impact on me than those of mutilated bodies. I recall the most shocking picture I saw after the London underground bombings were those of a huge Caribean man who was crying like a child. I'll never forget that picture... |
Written by Bottleblondesurfer (3136 comments posted) 19th April 2007 | Sound sentiments, well expressed. I would happily read more poety if it had this sort of conviction. The fact that you didn't take a stance and just laid out the facts made it all the more powerful.
Jane |
Written by Phil (6388 comments posted) 19th April 2007 | A piece that puts across your ideas well and poses important questions. There's a soap box somewhere around here, but I'm not going to get on it. Definitely worth writing and reading.
Phil. |
Written by Fledermaus (3159 comments posted) 19th April 2007 | | Thanks Phil. Feel free to climb on the soapbox. This poem was a bit of one already, I think... |
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