Excise
David Antrobus Posted on Saturday, September 1, 2012 at 1:52PM 
Felt like sharing an old poem I submitted once to a Canadian website named Poets Against War. I am wary of poetry as I hold it in such high regard that I feel completely inadequate in my admittedly rare attempts at the form. There's a purity to it that is almost intimidating. Anyway, this one is decent, nothing more. But since I am committing more time to my blog (two or three faint and hesitant cries of "yay" drift from the peanut gallery), I need to come up with more content, so consider this an adequate placeholder, no more, no less.
It's in the rubble
dubious patterns
for those eyes becoming fluent in
the patois of woe.
It's in the drinking men
in dark bars
who never offer their backs
to the bright doors.
It's in the quick flinch
of children
the sudden narrowing stutter
at a backfiring car.
Emergence. Chaos into patterns.
Seismic events
at first merely shudder.
Recognition
begins with one blink
of a clear eye
soon to be jaundiced
as the queasy map of infection
around an untreatable wound.
It's in the blood and the bond
the heart the hearth
the fond slow burn of the kill
it's deep although
(listen, still)
we may yet have something new to learn.
Reader Comments (5)
The peanut gallery may be more crowded than you think. It's hard to shout with your mouth is full of peanuts. But during the shelling, I just have enough time to shout down, "Yay, more frequent posts!"
I'm not much on poetry, though I have dabbled in it on occasion. Not much for war either, but sometimes it's the thing that has to be done to stop evil opposition. I guess it can always be argued that evil is in the eyes of the gun holders and there is always the plentitude of innocent victims who are caught in the crossfire.
Lee
Wrote By Rote
Ed, you're my kind of peanut gallery guy! ;)
Most wars are caused by cowardly, ambitious and cynical politicians, that's the problem. I suppose when there's a clear and obvious evil, such as the Third Reich of the 1930s, it can be justified, but most wars are utterly unnecessary. And tragic. Yeah.
Thanks for the comments, guys! Oh, and Arlee, I tried following you on Networked Blogs but I didn't see your Follower count go up. Maybe there's another way?
Wow! It hits right in the gut. Sort of puts my mind to PTSD.
That's exactly the backdrop of the poem, Yvonne. Well played!