Lest Politicians Forget Poem by doug bentley

lest politicians forget
they can be spineless greedy souls
who place personal power above public
trust, who rule by anger of the other,

who promote paranoia of the stranger,
who foment fear of the neighbor,
who for greater glory and power
defend the status quo unto death,

who in that pursuit of personal power
account honor no factor and exploit
paranoia by peddling fear- know that
the price you pay for putting career

before public good is your endless
dispatch of our very young to insane war.
for you still brain-wash trusting children,
you still teach them how to honor war,

order them to take pride in their nation
even as they slaughter all whom you fear,
order them to march off to mindless battle
even as you salute arriving container loads

of more dead kids shipped back in coffins,
even as you cheer the stock markets' soar.
for you still avoid the gut busting question
that puts paid to every uncivil needless war -

why, if nations are abstractions, but people
are lifeforms, do lifeforms still massacre
lifeforms in the name of mere abstractions?
but do not even ask this nuclear question.

do not even question your need for war.
it has always been this way. it is
the way of the world, a world where
one weapon is worth a few billion bucks,

a world where the life of one poor child
is worth only one drop of precious oil.
yet you still call yourselves honorable,
you still feel the need to take your stand.

won't you ever learn how to upright walk?
do you think all you need to do is talk?
and lest spineless politicians forget,
let them remember that hitler, stalin,

mao, and pol pot were politicians too.
so it is a very firm life plan of mine
to never speak to any politician again,
and, as a matter of simple hygiene,

to never shake a politician's hand.
the politician shakes too many hands.
for, needless to say, i prefer the company
of colleagues who are not mass murderers.