POETRY

I’m reading a book called Poems for Refugees in which different people chose poems that spoke to them to be included in this collection. Well, I happened to be watching Bowling for Columbine trying to see the one-sidedness that people complain about with Moore’s films. And I was watching this segment on some of the US-backed coups, assassinations, wars, etc. And to my own knowledge and research every single one he had was true. In fact there are many more. He didn’t present the reasons for each or the context of course. But that assumes that you might feel the context or reasons might justify those things. And that’s possible I suppose. The pattern, though, is overwhelming and speaks volumes. I think it’s a power position phenomenon and would happen with any country that was in power as a superpower. It tends to corrupt. These things seem to be independent of current rulers.

But the interesting thing is that movie supported what I’ve seen of these big power-nations fueling wars on the one hand by selling arms to countries and then fighting for peace on the other hand (China, US, France, UK, Russia, etc.). Currently I believe the actions are diametrically opposed. And these superpowers really do cause and enable wars further in the future because of the proliferation of general arms. It seems that, invariably, wars are fought between people who received arms from superpowers or are superpowers themselves. Enemies change, come, and go. And this phenomenon arms them all. But I stumbled on this poem in this book.

HOW SHALL WE DEFEAT THE ENEMY?

How shall we defeat The Enemy?

We shall defeat The Enemy by making alliances.

Who shall we make alliances with?

With people in whose interests it is, to be enemies with The Enemy.

How shall we win alliances with these people?

We shall win an alliance with these people by giving them money and arms.

And after that?

They will help us defeat The Enemy.

Has The Enemy got money and arms?

Yes.

How did The Enemy get money and arms?

He was once someone in whose interests it was, to be enemies with our enemy.

Which enemy was this?

Someone in whose interests it had once been, to be enemies with an enemy.

Michael Rosen, 2001

Goodnight!

Gentleness,

Victor

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