by HL
In Ur ne. Baghdad
Western Barbarians plunder artifacts.
History. Sold to the highest bidder.
Blackened solstice traders
Lurking under crosses of hate
Held at acute attack angles
Bend the light into dollar signs,
Defiling the provenance of George
Washington. Our symbol of hope
Turned hopeless by his namesake
Whose initials got inverted
Perverted beyond recognition.
Drained of their symbolic grace.
No option turns its back,
These feckless warriors
Abscond with the trust,
Honor and country
Granted to their custody.
By their actions, they have
Converted living symbols
To counterfeit promises
In the name of their small gods:
Money, greed and power!
*New York Times headline, June 11th, 2007.
HL is a computer-nerd bicyclist who cranks out poetry as he rides along prairie grass and gravel roads. He says, "War is not the Answer / Ride a Bicycle," and more at cornfedtrouble.