Utopia Achieved

It never seems to change
We never seem to learn.
Old men argue - Young men die.
Ignorant of history – fooled by bravado

Now we begin again
Whipped up in a frenzy
Of righteous rhetoric
We grant the power to destroy,
We loose the dogs of war.

We believe our leaders to be intelligent,
Far seeing, as they lead us to war.
Only the ignorant and near sighted,
Would lead us to peace

And it has to happen, of course. Time after time.
Consider the cyclical nature of war.
If we are overly long at peace, Away from the killing
It starts again. We seem powerless to stop it. This, our legacy.

But now we have made war safe for the middle class.
Kids go off to college, in Polo shirts and Dockers.
We no longer fear the draft board. The armies
are now filled with the children of under-achievers.
They are poorly educated, unwanted in business, expendable.

No longer do we fear losing our best and brightest to war.
The machines do all the work, Terrors of technology.
The uneducated, just drive them, a useful occupation, if they survive.
The machines do all the killing, Marvels of science and efficiency.
Our expendable children just point them and the human losses are acceptable..

Utopia achieved.
Bill Schatzabel – Nov 2002

Old

Do you recognize the look
He or She – It does not matter
Sitting perfectly still
Looking small, shrunken, used up.
In their chairs.

The detritus of life
Humanities leftovers
Sitting perfectly still, making no sound
Lest they call attention to themselves.

Do you recognize the old
He or she – I cannot tell
Sitting perfectly still
Waiting for the end. . .Waiting for - God
In their chairs.

Remember it well - that look
For as the days rush past With merciless precision
That time will come, when the one-
Sitting in the chair,
Making no sound
Sitting perfectly still
Is you.

WHS: 08/13/03