Carry on Killing

This poem deals with the futility of war and the realization that those who relish in this kind of barbarity never seem to learn from their mistakes.

By Stanley Collymore

 

We need a war:

as we have no answers of any kind

for the repeated failures and full-scale

collapse of the economy, which we've

persistently botched up with such

stunning regularity through

our exceptional mediocrity; so a

war would do nicely in

focusing our minds.

 

We need a war:

to consolidate and further stimulate the

burgeoning arms industry " our solitary

outstanding success, rivaled only by our

extraordinary zest in unmasking our

incredible arrogance and amazing

stupidity in not having learnt

anything at all from our

very recent past.

 

We most definitely need a war:

to help eradicate large sections of our

communities - the flotsam and jetsam

of humanity who constitute the sick, aged,

disabled, unproductive, unwanted and the

unemployed; people we really can't abide

and from whom it would be uncivil and

deceitful to hide our utter contempt

and hostility, for they're such a huge

financial burden on the

rest of society.

 

We need a war:

as fighting with others,

and even among ourselves, is

what we're gifted at doing;

and it's such great fun killing

then making martyrs of the dead

and icons of the injured living "

those who were fortunate to

have survived the slaying.

 

So let's have another wonderful war

that we can joyfully celebrate in songs,

propaganda films, and hypocritically

but so majestically in our characteristic

and militaristically ceremonial parades

lay costly wreaths at cenotaphs for,

just like we do each year

for the last one.

 

For let's not forget that we have the technology

and the pedigree, as well as the power lust to

engineer and sustain a nuclear holocaust "

and won't it just be fun, especially

if it's done in someone else's

backyard and as far away as

possible from our own?

 

© Stanley V. Collymore

27 March 1998.