You Say You Want a Revolution

“When in the course of human events.”
Thus tolls the bell of fervent appeal,
This declaration,
         This new beginning,
This fledgling flight from the eagle’s nest.
 
“We hold these truths to be self-evident.”
That these rights be not taken by trial or ordeal.
That liberty’s grasp is secure and unending
And freedom endures when held to the test.
 
And if there be violence,
          Let there be violence.
We shall not wither though cannons may reel.
For independence is ours for the winning
And we will not settle for second-best.
 
For they shall not govern without our consent,
Or throttle our fervor or stifle our zeal
Lest we send them whirling, reeling and spinning
With our vigilant vigor that never will rest.
 
No patience for despots or tyrants or kings
When Liberty, sweet Liberty, opens her wings.
 
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Duel in the Sand

Some might say it was “not our concern,”
But when humanity meets rebuff
And sovereignty vanishes with the wind,
Someone must stand and say “enough.”
 
The storm has been brewing for quite some time
From cauldrons deep beneath the earth
While tyrants bask in newfound wealth
Without regard for human worth.
 
And now these rogues have crossed the line
That’s drawn from civil decency
To stake a claim and conquer all
In lands extending to the sea.
 
But gainsay forces disapprove
As cannons gather in the sand
And form a fearful peerless shield
To still the manic firebrand.
 
Now brash defiance steeps a tempest
Building to a violent storm
To sweep across the burning dunes
Determined as a hornet’s swarm.
 
But even when the dust is settled
Under the flaming desert sun,
Each side lays claim to victory
And no one knows who really won.
 
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The Wall

I haven’t seen it (yet),
          But I survived it
Along with hundreds of thousands more
Who left no small part of a poor man’s soul
Lost and confused in a “no-man’s” war.
 
Fifty thousand two two zero
Carved on a wall of shimmering black.
FIVE-EIGHT-COMMA-TWO-TWO-ZERO
Brilliant brave souls who didn’t come back.
 
And tens upon tens upon thousands more
Who came back unwhole in body or mind
To be spat on, cursed and ridiculed by
A nation that seemed to be out of its mind.
 
But the wall stands tall and long and proud,
The message loud, the statement clear;
That these represent the best of the best
Who gave everything without question or fear.
 
So, we view them with pride
          --With their brothers-in-arms –
When we pause to reflect and recall.
And should we forget what true honor is worth
We need only stand close to the wall.
 
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The Greatest Generation

Their numbers dwindle.
All too soon they will be
But a memory,
This selfless generation of a nation
Sworn to liberty.
 
A world gone mad a second time,
The coils unflailing yet again;
An evil Axis from the Rising Sun to
Blitzkrieg’s bitter train.
 
A peaceful flock may be mistook,
Might look as though they just don’t care.
But woe to one who throws the stone
And dares to wake the sleeping bear.
 
And the hibernating masses rose
Unquestioning the narrative,
They gave and gave and then gave more
Til there was nothing left to give.
 
So many perished in the quest
To bring perdition to an end.
A generation sworn to serve;
We’ll never see their likes again.
 
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… To End All Wars

Didn’t want to get involved, but
Someone had to end the mess;
Those adolescent-acting oafs, so deep
Entangled in distress.
 
A spider’s web of horror
Overshadows “over there”, and
They need to halt the madness
E’er it migrates “over here”.
 
So, off the Doughboy goes to
Crush the Kaiser’s horrid hordes,
And vows he’ll not return until
He’s stilled the rattled swords.
 
Through the muck and mist and mire of
A wretched no-man’s land,
Inch by inch and trench by trench
He clashes hand to hand.
 
Into the deep perdition,
Arising from the catacomb,
Fulfilling every promise
Til sweet victory brings him home.
 
And now the task, the fearful task
That victory implores,
That this ungodly struggle be
The war to end all wars.
 
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Blue or Gray

Different time – Different agenda –
Different mindset – Same old story.
Unapologetic profiteers
In search of gore and glory.
 
Clouds of conflict born in anguish
Pirated o’er angry seas.
Beast of burden – sold – debased
With brash delight for all to see
 
Passing decades shape a wealth
That disavows upright mores,
Casting shadows on a troubled land
Begetting blues and grays.
 
Now the angry argument is
Launched upon the killing fields
As both believe their cause is just,
And losses rise as neither yields.
 
But when it’s over a promise begins,
A covenant to consummate
Where all are equal and all can be free of
Gross divisiveness and hate.
 
And what was it they fought to free?
The blessings of sweet liberty
And equal justice for all men
Regardless of their shade of skin.
 
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We’re Not Perfect

Utopia is but a dream
With multicolored feathers
That flitter as they flutter
Through a phosphorescent night.
No qualms, no trepidation,
Only peaceful coexistence, 
So lovely to envision,
So fleeting in the light.
 
Alas, we are not perfect.
We can never know this Shangri-La,
This paradise of worldly wealth
Where pure nirvana touches all.
 
The best that we can hope for is
A land of opportunity where
Each on each might have a voice
And all may share the waterfall
Where none need fear the tyrant’s rage
And no voice need be still,
Where kindness, hope and charity
Are wealth to compensate the bill.
 
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Hiroshima

No one wanted to be the one to
Unleash the beast of devastation,
To be the first…
          First to give the order,
          First to fly the fateful craft,
          First to target and release a
Mass destruction never known.
 
Decisions often can be fearful,
Some are near impossible,
To take a life to save a life
In multiples unknowing,
Both enemy and innocent
Reduced to vapor in an instant
Leaving the victor to wave his flag
And to glory in pure triumph.
 
Yet hesitation haunts the cloud
In fountains of uncertainty.
But might is right. The end must be now.
Next target, Nagasaki.

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