see poems in anthology We Begin Here: poems for Palestine and Lebanon ; eds., Kamal Boullata and Kathy Engel see story 'Walk on the WIld SIde' in Persimmon Tree on line September 2007 |
10 Reasons Why We Need a New War1. because this one is going so well 2. because, preemptively speaking, someday someone might make war on us 3. because people who worship Allah, even though Allah is just god in Arabic, are dangerous 4. because we are the USA and we kick butt 5. because they don’t care about life like we do 6. because there are still so many unused weapons; some even untested 7. because corporations are clamoring for contracts 8. because otherwise people might mobilize to demand national health care 9. because war-makers never study the stumps of amputees 10. because we forget that the Roman Empire is in ruins. -- Melanie Kaye/ Bodies When Dave Dellinger, one of the great political pacifists of the last century, died recently, at his memorial Tom Hayden talked of learning from Dave what it means to actually use your body to stand up to or at least to slow down evil. I dedicate this poem to Rachel Corrie, who used her body in exactly this way was it when social security got declared legally dead was it when unions were identified as terrorist organizations was it when 85% of TV ads pushed drugs for bellyfat wrinkles depression sex as if we should always be cheerful, moist and erect was it when subways cost $3 a ride, and were 92% less likely to be on time was it when the rate of asthma for children of color tipped into more than half was it when one third of African children lost a parent to AIDS was it when every single member of Marivel Gutierrez’ family had some form of cancer was it when the ten thousandth Palestinian child in need of medical care died at an IDF checkpoint was that when Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube summoned a special session of congress when the pope’s death absorbed an entire week of news he’s dying he died he’s dead he’s still dead and another week crowned by Benedict the newly infallible German while the Tigris and Euphrates beloveds of civilization thickened with shit and 2300? 2500? 3000? American bodies came home in coffins while 5000 American legs and 7000 American arms slept in the once-fertile crescent detached from the bodies that grew them was it when we never managed to count the Iraqi bodies or their missing legs and arms was that when graffitti appeared on sidewalks and walls all over the nation saying bring them home alive was that when young women dug out their mothers’ old tshirts and put on the one that said our bodies our selves was that when middleaged parents took their softening bodies to block the doorways of recruiting stations no way they said you’re not going was that when thousands of people of all ages planted their frightened brave bodies across the highways train tracks bridges boulevards runways when they took their bold radiant bodies into the jails and all gave the same name presente they said presente presente --Melanie Kaye/ 2005 |
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