On Behalf of a Grateful Nation

A poem

source

On behalf of a grateful nation
we would like to thank you, ma’am
for lending us your son
to fight someone else’s war

the military-industrial complex
must be maintained and fed
with American greenbacks
and the blood and sweat of the working class

we can always find a reason
to send your son
to a faraway land
filled with dust and debris and camels and sheep

we will always find a way
to impose our will
and subjugate the people
of countries where we don’t belong

none of this is the fault
of your brave and courageous son
who enlisted with the greatest of intentions
but nevertheless
ended up in a watery grave
fifteen feet down
in a tank at the bottom of the Tigris River.