Gotta Do 1991 (Persian Gulf War)

"A Man Gotta Do What a Man Gotta Do!",

said "the Duke", the Saddam, and the Bush. Whack-a-doo.

So rattle the sabers and trot out the flag

and swagger and strut till a maggot would gag.

Then fire off big rockets and missiles, en masse ~

arousing worn phallic-fixated Top Brass.

For REAL MEN KICK ASS is the cardinal rule

as grieved women e'er bury their warriors, cool.

So...as Earth bears the brunt of these bomb-frenzied times

and our nation leads worldwide in violent crimes --

it's trillions for weapons, a trickle for schools --

crates of 'smart bombs' for a classroom of fools.

So fly high on hubris. An Emir's been freed.

And who really cares whether Johnny can read.

For Johnny can wield a slick rifle in hate

from the slums of LA, to the sands of Kuwait.

From the burning south Bronx to the skies of Iraq --

it's shoot 'em up Johnny and mow 'em down Jack.

He can slaughter his brothers and rape Mother Earth...

A Man Gotta Do It. To prove what he's worth.

Genocide. Ecocide. Biocide. Hate.

A man's gotta do it?? That's quite out-of-date.

Now our new cosmic worldview proves Johnny's true worth --

our interconnectedness. People and Earth.

Where justice, compassion and healing are taught,

and the wonder and beauty of nature are sought.

Where we guide one another to love, and not hate --

learning new ways to think, and to do, ... and create.

Ancient awe of our universe then sparkles anew.

And that's what each one of us, All...Gotta Do!

_____

( 1991, Alice Connally Fisk)

(This poem was written in 1991 at the height of the Persian Gulf War, leafleted throughout the Capital District, and appeared as part of Readings Against the End of the World, Albany, NY)