Sunday, November 30, 2014

OUR REBEL, YOUR REBEL

by Norman Ball


"The U.S. military will subject Syrian rebels taking part in a new training program to psychological evaluations, biometrics checks and stress tests under a screening plan...as it expands support for armed groups in Syria." --The Washington Post, November 28, 2014. Image source: Vice.


Our rebels are tested, well-rested and true.
Your rebels seem murderous, antsy and blue.
Rebellion breeds hellions. So take proper care.
Adjusted jihadists don't fall from the air.
Beheadings solve nothing, head doctors report.
Try shrinking your head as a final resort.

Yes, off with your quest for our heads and our necks!
We need them to think about where to bomb next.


Norman Ball is a poet, author and songwriter whose work has appeared in Counterpunch, Asia Times, Pop Matters, The Foreign Policy Journal. His poetry book Serpentrope is available from White Violet Press.