by Scot Siegel
1.
We have this little word we
We misuse it
We speak of us not them as we
We condemn
We speculate
We weapons trade
We pander to the highest bidder
We class warfare
We spread democracy
We celebrate and ridicule autonomy
We embargo rogue nations
We water board
We call it security
We lose our integrity; for this little word we
2.
Though we have this other word We
Not us nor them but We
We who build fences made of interlocking hands
We the generalists of human kind
We the specialists of peace and reconciliation
We are an army without a country now
We who are meals on wheels
We the doctors without borders
We the volunteers of AmeriCorps and
We the people of Ecumenical Ministries –
We the children who believe that sustainability is non-negotiable
We will have its way with us before long; we have no choice in the matter –
We have this word We
We must use it.
Scot Siegel is an urban planner and poet from Lake Oswego, Oregon, where he serves on the Lake Oswego City Planning Commission and Board of Trustees for the Friends of William Stafford. His poetry has previously appeared on The New Verse News, The Oregonian, Open Spaces, and Red River Review, among others.
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