Union Songs
Tell me the truth about war
A poem by Stuart Rees©2005 Stuart Rees
A coalition of the willing declared war
but did not explain why,
or the reasons they gave
were not the real reasons
and something called a dodgy dossier
became as smelly as the exam papers
of a schoolboy who cheated.One leader is an evangelist,
another a true believer,
each hooked on the catechisms of their convictions
and would be lost without reference to their God
though non-believers
have questioned the sacred texts
and have asked for evidence.An evil man was supposed
to be able to destroy his opponents
with mighty weapons in forty-five minutes
but the leaders who wanted to elimate a dictator
also needed to throw their weight around,
use their weapons
to convince the world of their truth:
by killing people to protect them
they would be welcomed in the streets,
by installing puppet governments
their armies could demonstrate democracy at work,
which was another good reason for having a war.
Notes
Many thanks to Stuart Rees for permission to add this poem to the Union Songs collection
union songs..........a selection by mark gregory