Thursday, August 10, 2006

'the flower of life' summer 2006- renku


bells ring; school's out now
classes over- vacation!
summertime freedom

carefree- trees to climb- funtime
packed suv- gone camping!

barefoot, sandaless
lazy, hazy daydreamin'
sipping lemonade

hop a plane- trip to the beach
picking, choosing seashells

endless days- walt disney world
mickey, minnie, and goofy

mowing lawns- smell fresh cut grass
sunflowers; corn-on-the-cob

bumblebees, lightning bugs, gnats
june bugs, garter snakes, tadpoles

heat lightning flashes- raindrops
thunderstorms rumble; mudpuddles

neighborhood kids pretending
playing until dusk- called home

sunbathing in the backyard
asleep in the sun- sunburn

scorching hot july- endless
independence day picnics

'rockets red glare'- baseball games
'bombs bursting in air'- fireworks

protect america- spend!
fight them there instead of here!

suicide bombers on bus
israeli civilians killed

tanks, troops- retaliation
palestinian towns razed

allah versus jehovah
whose god is right? battles rage on

crescent moon or david's star?
the right to live on the line

meanwhile, terrorism grows
hamas, hezbollah, iraq

democracy's spread halted
'collateral damage' done

rumsfeld, cheney, bush and rice
no 'cut and run'- no armor

american troop's courage
faces challenges from home

shia, sunni, kurd- unite!
drive satan from your homeland!

american troop's courage
faces challenges from iraq

middle eastern mothers weep
bombs fall; sniper's bullets hit

once proud cities- now rubble
history gone instantly

'birth pangs' of a new era
democracy in iraq

'rockets red glare'- katushas
'bombs bursting in air'- more wars

north korea and iran
nuclear threats or more lies?

missle tests fall short of land
sabre rattling goes on

lebanese children on beach
splashing through waves, laughing

high rise hotels- tourism
democratic lebanon

hezbollah wins elections
israel on high alert

soldiers kidnapped; bombs rain down
no ceasefire on horizon

neo-con's quest for power
ideology of greed

oil mixed religion
god, allah, and jehovah
no 'flower of life' grows here

no olive branch for peacetime
the endless days of summer

6 comments:

dawn said...

Betmo,
This is the jekyll and hyde of poems, you need a break from the worlds woes for a while believe me they will still be here when you get back.Good Thoughts

billie said...

dawn- it's on purpose. i was trying to show the difference between summer in america and summer in the middle east. you are right- i am taking a break. :)

Spadoman said...

Betmo...You don't need a break, you need a publisher. This is fantastic stuff. You pour out the feelings of many anAmerican and those suffering around the world from the throes of war.

Eloquently stated.

Go to Mary's site and read watch the movie she posted. Link to it. Then send them this piece.

Some folks in Lebanon made a short video asking if anyone cares. Send this to them, show them there are others who are aware of the tragedy unfolding and want peace.

Take Care.

Mary said...

Well done Betmo. And Spado's right on all points.

No said...

Great haiku renku or whatever it is called..I love it. You should try to get it published.

Charlene Amsden said...

This is awesome. I loved the contrast between America and the Middle East. The change from bliss to horror was very well done. This does not belong on your blog. You need a publisher.