The Politics of Peace

The Politics of Peace

I.

You want me to write a politically active poem,

Don’t you?

They’re clamoring for it,

Joe.

I can’t concern myself with politics,

I’m sorry.

I can’t control or change a goddamn thing.

Words were never strong enough.

No one’s.  Ever.  Period.

They killed every man

Who ever told us how

We could live it right—

To respect and care and protect

Each other.

Even after all this time, having come all this way,

We still cannot recognize it.

We could feel and permeate only warm energy;

But we can’t handle it?  We can’t bear the thought?

The Testaments of Love are tarnished

And we kill in holy names.

Forget the thought of peace then—

There’s no need for another dead preacher.

II.

I often wonder about

The man at the control station

Dropping bombs on children

Thousands of miles away.

Collateral damage,

I’m sure his supervisors say.

He was just following orders,

So here’s a comforting pat on the back:

I know of another group of

Misinformed soldiers

Still unforgiven

For theirs.

And right now, at this very moment,

In Africa or the Middle East

A woman is having her

Clitoris ripped from her body.

Tiny fingers stitch your sneakers

And piece together components of this iPhone.

The ocean is filled with plastic soup

Evaporating into our air

And killing our sea life—

Our solution to pollution was dilution,

So what is our solution now?

But never feel guilty for your privilege,

Even as we get fat and others starve.

Understand that your own perceived reality

Reigns supreme over our collective one;

So be grateful that this is yours and not another’s.

Thank God for good fortune

And ponder how he could possibly

Exist in the midst of all of this.

III.

Now to touch upon God

Once more.

How could I question his

Presence here, but claim

Her existence in another?

The same way I can tell you

I will not write a political poem,

But then do so immediately after,

In part two:

Because I want to

And nothing about me makes sense.

You call yourself God sometimes

Don’t you?

Yes, and even before I realized the

Power of authorship.

But shouldn’t you love your God?

Shouldn’t you love your country?

You should love yourself first.

You should love your neighbor.

That is how you love your God.