by Ed Werstein
Clinton On Afghan Murders: “That Is Not Who We Are” (March 12, 2012) by reuters
that is not who we are
sixteen innocent civilians shot dead
in Kandahar
a soldier snaps
and sixteen die
mostly women and children
a soldier snaps
three tours of duty in Iraq
now deployed in Afghanistan
he snaps
sixteen dead
and Hillary says
that is not who we are
who are we then?
are we the Marines who
unzipped and pissed
on their victims?
are we the soldiers who
burned the Quran?
are we Navy Seals who
steal across borders,
a midnight invasion,
to assassinate our prey
and anyone who gets in the way?
are we predator drones
piloted by remote joystick jockeys
raining terror on guilty
and innocent alike?
they see their kids each night
and never snap thinking
about the ones they’ve killed
are we people who fight
terror with terror?
who send young parents
on continuous deployment
to unending wars
against undefined enemies
(the war on terror)
and then act surprised
when one of them snaps?
we didn’t foresee that happening
no one could have seen that coming
nobody except anybody
that is not who we are.
Ed Werstein, Milwaukee, spent 22 years in manufacturing and union activity. He now works as an employment counselor helping job seekers. His sympathies lie with the poor and working people of the world. He advocates for peace and against corporate power. He is a proud member of the Hartford Avenue Poets. His poetry has appeared in Verse Wisconsin, Blue Collar Review, Mobius Magazine and a few other publications.
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