The Price

Not funny this time

Look at some of these savages
we were sent to "save"
They murder their own children
in cruel barbaric ways

Fueled by tribal rivalries
The west can't understand
Hatred turns to blind fury
in their sadistic hands

Eye for eye and tooth for tooth
The law of desert ways
Mixed up with modern weaponry
can set this world ablaze

The Neocons who sent us there
With their misguided dreams
Were nothing but war criminals
An arrogant regime

They built their castles in the sky
of ignorant pipe dreams
We paid for their incompetence
With cordite and bloodstreams

But rich white men they get away
A fact of history
They rule the world it's plain to see
They make our misery

We give them power over us
They say give us your trust
Then sic us on the savages
and grind us into dust

It was for freedom we were told
but we were not aware
The promise of democracy
would turn to a nightmare

The bitter truth inside my heart
Will never go away
and I will never ever forget
The price we had to pay

Author's Note

Not a fucking chance

Reviews

[Carolann Dowsett]

Horrendously traumatic what they make man do for the price of their blood stained gold. A very honest write full of hard truth.

[Baby Ricochet]

thank you carolann

[icelandicblue]

The question is so damn complex- look at Libya after Gaddafi- anarchy, look at Egypt now. The spread of democracy is not such a simple thing and I'm not sure we ever really had a realistic endgame in Iraq or Afghanastan- the Russians knew it couldn't be won and they'd been involved there when there were still Tsars- and we all know who supplied the weapons to the Mujahideen- did we really believe they were fighting for democracy-no- just against the Soviets and that was enough for us and look where that got us. White Ivy leaguers send young men and women to war but they never have to sully their hands with their policies, nor do they lose many sons and daughters in these wars. Instead those who return are haunted by what they saw there and I might guess frustated and disgusted by the futility of it all. Not all promises can be kept no matter how nice they sound in sound bites, or on the senate floor on in a speech. I hear you loud and clear on this one. Yogi Berra has a great quote "In theory, theory always works, in practice it doesn't." Except in this case when it doesn't work it's bathed in blood and leaves behind a vacuum of more blood when we decide we've "done" enough.

[Baby Ricochet]

Wow. This is some review Blue. Thank you.

[icelandicblue]

During Vietnam you can be assured the children of these men had very very low draft numbers...so low they would never be picked.

[LovingJoy]

...Yet again, to the point and flows so well to my ears, you pull no punches, are not afraid to say what you think, and do so with either uncomfortable truths or sharp uncompromising wit. Thanks...

(BTW: Funny how the ICC seems not to have noticed the above people described in your poem, "weirdddddd"...)

[Baby Ricochet]

Thank you for your input loving joy. I appreciate it

[Pryde Foltz]

This is a tough one to comment on. The poem is outstanding and layered with truth but all that said, we have to find a way to spread democracy. To be sure, these warlords would be fighting and oppressing without the presence of an outside force. And I think the situation becomes more complicated when you compare Afghanistan to Iraq. I have no ready answers here, but tremendous compassion and respect for you and your pen. I just count my incredibly lucky stars to be born in Canada and to be born in Canada as a woman. You're getting a hundred.

[Baby Ricochet]

Unfortunately democracy doesn't look so great when it's got the barrel of an M-16 in your face. There are no easy answers, that's for sure. Thanks for stopping by Pryde. It's always a pleasure to here from you

[Marie]

Keep reminding us, Baby R. It needs to be said.

[Baby Ricochet]

I think so. Thank you Marie

[Pete Langley]

The scars of doing violence are as deep as the scars received and often less healed.....righteousness and justification never sit easy on any shoulder. Your poem is finely written, Mark. P.

[Baby Ricochet]

Thank you Pete. It's good to see you