[Peace-discuss] Fwd: doom doom

[Jay Mittenthal]

>Date: Sun, 16 Feb 2003 14:05:25 -0500
>From: Peter Bulow <Peter.Bulow at mssm.edu>
>Subject: Fwd: doom doom
>To: mitten at life.uiuc.edu

>hi jay,
>
>i found out about a web site started this week or a week ago by a poet, 
>sam hamil who as invited to read his poems at the white house by barbara 
>bush and instead asked poets around the country to write poems in protest 
>of the war. he went with a packet of 7,000 poems to the white house to 
>present them, but they were not accepted. the website accepts submissions, 
>and this is my contribution.
>
>Peter.



>the animals know
>
>
>
>the animals watch us, they know.
>
>they know we will eat ourselves soon.
>
>already he tail is half swal-
>
>lowed, that triplet palindrome
>
>that three letter world told us to.
>
>it should have been spliced long ago
>
>a sharp tail that flutters behind us
>
>killing, wherever we go.
>
>words fail to keep us, and bind us. words fail
>
>all the animals know.
>
>if we listened
>
>perhaps they could save us. the rabbit
>
>would tell us
>
>what we should do, where to go.
>
>but our crowns have slipped over our foreheads
>
>and we wander off blind through the forests
>
>swords drawn. the words we have spoken
>
>won't save us
>
>and some will be carved on our graves, thus.
>
>all the animals know.
>
>the horses that carried us
>
>know.
>
>they stand there and watch, with heads low.
>
>once wearing our armor they battled
>
>the clash of their foreheads of metal
>
>rang in the woods like a bell.
>
>if all of us die
>
>they won't tell.
>
>they know us too well
>
>they know.
>
>the eagle, wings arched like a bow
>
>watches our armies assemble
>
>watches our bombs grow and grow.
>
>if we all die, he won't tremble
>
>nor arrow is strung in his bowstring
>
>no quiver has made him soar so.
>
>the eagles won't tremble,
>
>they know.
>
>and the bear we made dance to our tune
>
>is always the same, so he knows
>
>our ditties by heart and can hum them
>
>as he twirls and he whirls to our tune
>
>on two legs or one, looking human
>
>swinging from chains in our room
>
>as he dances our doom, our doom, doom
>
>our doom doom de-doom doom,
>
>our doom
>
>doom.