FIVE-STAR LINKS: A new war poetry
Since 9/11, I see a new war poetry. As always with war poetry throughout the ages, there are poems about freedom, memory, shame, slaughter, camaraderie and protest. I think of Wilfred Owen, Rupert Brooke and Siegfried Sassoon.
Along these lines, here are two five-star links:
Above, watch the YouTube video of Iraq War veteran and poet Brian Turner, author of “Here, Bullet,” reading a poem. Turner is from Fresno, Calif., and he teaches English at Fresno City College. He is a U.S. Army veteran and was an infantry team leader for a year in Iraq beginning in late 2003.
Then, a different turn, Poets Against War.
Poets Against War grew from poets who insisted on remaining truthful and socially engaged. It all started with some invitations. Laura Bush set off this firestorm back in 2003 when she invited some well-known poets to the White House, and a bunch of them didn’t want to go but instead wanted to make political statements about W’s then-possible war. The event was canceled.
Poetry is so much more than a nice cookie club for jingoism. What do you think? If anyone knows of poets for the war, give me a ring, leave a comment, send a poem. Send a poem, too, if you’re against the war. Are West Virginia poets speechless about war and peace? I don’t think so.
I like the wolf reference by Marina Tsvetaeva on the current Poets Against War web page, at the beginning of a Breyten Breytenbach essay. “However much you feed a wolf, it always looks to the forest. We are all wolves of the dense forest of Eternity.”
All this reminds me of a story a buddy of mine passed along years ago:
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”
—
For poem as prelude, I give you Allen Ginsberg’s “Hum Bom,” which was ahead of its time, part written in 1971, part in the 1984 and part in the 1991. The poem became popular again after the beginning of the second Gulf war.
Hum Bom!
by Allen Ginsberg
Whom bomb?
We bomb them!
Whom bomb?
We bomb them!
Whom bomb?
We bomb them!
Whom bomb?
We bomb them!
Whom bomb?
You bomb you!
Whom bomb?
You bomb you!
Whom bomb?
You bomb you!
Whom bomb?
You bomb you!
What do we do?
Who do we bomb?
What do we do?
Who do we bomb?
What do we do?
Who do we bomb?
What do we do?
Who do we bomb?
What do we do?
You bomb! You bomb them!
What do we do?
You bomb! You bomb them!
What do we do?
We bomb! We bomb them!
What do we do?
We bomb! We bomb them!
Whom bomb?
We bomb you!
Whom bomb?
We bomb you!
Whom bomb?
You bomb you!
Whom bomb?
You bomb you!
May 1971
Why bomb?
We don’t want to bomb!
Why bomb?
We don’t want to bomb!
Why bomb?
You don’t want to bomb!
Why bomb?
You don’t want to bomb!
Who said bomb?
Who said we had to bomb?
Who said bomb?
Who said we had to bomb?
Who said bomb?
Who said you had to bomb?
Who said bomb?
Who said you had to bomb?
We don’t bomb!
We don’t bomb!
We don’t bomb!
We don’t bomb!
We don’t bomb!
We don’t bomb!
We don’t bomb!
We don’t bomb!
for Don Cherry and Elvin Jones
New York, June 16, 1984
Armageddon did the job
Gog & Magog Gog & Magog
Armageddon did the job
Gog & Magog Gog & Magog
Gog & Magog Gog & Magog
Armageddon does the job
Gog & Magog Gog & Magog
Armageddon does the job
Armageddon for the mob
Gog & Magog Gog & Magog
Armageddon for the mob
Gog & Magog Gog & Magog
Gog & Magog Gog & Magog
Gog Magog Gog Magog
Gog & Magog Gog & Magog
Gog Magog Gog Magog
Gog Magog Gog Magog
Gog Magog Gog Magog
Gog Magog Gog Magog
Gog Magog Gog Magog
Ginsberg says Gog & Magog
Armageddon did the job.
February - June 1991
