Sunday, September 08, 2013

608 : Can you hear the children cry?


Lolamouse at "Imaginary Garden with Real Toads" invites us to write
in response to one of the inkblots that she put up. 

This one made me think of Syria and the US's headlong rush to bomb the Syrian people,
to punish them for being bombed by their own government.
No, I don't understand it either.

Sung to the tune of 
"Do you hear the people sing?" 
from Les Miserables.

Can you hear the children cry?

Chorus
Can you hear the children cry?
Feel the terror in their hearts?
It’s the horror of a war
And the suffering it imparts. 
When the dropping of the bombs
Matters more than who they kill
You’ve gone and lost the plot
As well as all goodwill.

What do you think you’re doing
With your democratic zeal?
Why do you blindly follow
The war-machine’s big wheel?
The killing of the fathers
Makes the sons take up the steel.

Chorus
Can you hear the children cry?
Feel the terror in their hearts?
It’s the horror of a war
And the suffering it imparts. 
When the dropping of the bombs
Matters more than who they kill
You’ve gone and lost the plot
As well as all goodwill.


You cannot make them love you
With your bombs and endless fear.
You have never learnt the lesson
And think force a panacea:
For every child you massacre
Six fighters will appear.

Chorus
Can you hear the children cry?
Feel the terror in their hearts?
It’s the horror of a war
And the suffering it imparts. 
When the dropping of the bombs
Matters more than who they kill
You’ve gone and lost the plot
As well as all goodwill.
.
---
© J Cosmo Newbery 2013
---

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44 comments:

  1. ... sitting here, speechless.

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  2. You cannot make them love you
    With your bombs and endless fear... This is the cruncher!!

    This is excellent as a protest poem, social comment and lament.

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    Replies
    1. If only I could get the right people to read my poems...

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  3. You have never learnt the lesson
    And think force a panacea:

    Brilliant bit of thinking - and writing...

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  4. I can hear it being sung! An anthem-let's rally and protest~
    Bravo

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  5. Yes, music please! This does so much more than what it's words say.

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  6. "The killing of the fathers makes the sons take up the steel."
    And the cycle of violence continues.
    Thank you for writing this.

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  7. wow! i don't know what to say, Cosmo

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  8. "US's headlong rush to bomb the Syrian people,
    to punish them for being bombed by their own government."

    Before I read the poem, I must say I think that statement is a bit unfair. I am not with Obama yet on this subject, but I think it would be a limited strike on specific chemical weapon sites. With that said, now that we don't have the element of surprise any more, I am sure the Syrian government has packed all sorts of innocent people in and around those facilities... The intent would be to deflect some of the power of the regime so they can not gas and kill innocent citizens.

    Yes, innocent people are often killed, but would it be the staggering numbers murdered, gassed by their government? NO.

    No I'm off to read your poem :) Hmm. Of course the lyrical rhythm is very nice ... but the message rings hollow for me and upsets me more than a little bit. To think America would not care about killing innocents is IMO ridiculous. But this situation is very tricky. Both political sides are nauseating and the question is if we go in and "bomb" STRATEGIC Chemical sites or as I last read - airstrips so the planes that deliver such chemicals couldn't get off the ground" would we solve anything, would we be saving lives? No - this killing of innocents has been going on forever.

    But I also found it interesting (and wondered if it were true) ... heard that the only two rulers who have used chemical weapons are Hitler and Saddam Hussein ... ? And where do we draw the line? The UN is a JOKE and will never work as it is supposed to ... We do not have a universal "watchdog" - we have more politics as usual..

    Oh, well - if poetry is to set one off, to cause a reaction, well then - yours has worked :)

    Respectively... Toad Margaret :)

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    1. I understand how you feel Margaret but I struggle to name a single country that has benefited by the application of American military force.

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    2. Also, let's remember that America used Napalm and nerve gasses in Vietnam (WMDs). We have also sold a bunch of that stuff all over the world. We lost that "white hat" years ago...

      If the UN is ever to be anything more than a "joke," then the US has to stop acting like John Wayne every time something goes awry, no? Amy

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  9. Fantastic write, kiddo. Especially profound: the killing of the fathers makes the sons take up the steel.

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  10. "The killing of the fathers
    Makes the sons take up the steel."

    Exactly.

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  11. Bravo! "The dropping of the bombs/Matters more than who they kill" says it all for me. Violence begets only more violence. I don't know the answer, but killing more innocents is not it.

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  12. A war horror story/song...very lyrical. I see why you saw that in this blot.

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  13. It will be even more powerful with music, orchestra maybe...

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  14. I wish we could have people singing this all over the world. The chorus is wonderful, and this verse is fabulous:
    "You cannot make them love you
    With your bombs and endless fear.
    You have never learnt the lesson
    And think force a panacea:
    For every child you massacre
    Six fighters will appear."

    —K

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  15. How I wish that your ink blot interpretation was fantasy. Instead I wince in rueful recognition. And cringe, wondering how soon our Government will join the fray.

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  16. What a foolhardy thing war is, as you stated,"killing the fathers will only make the sons pick up the steel". This is something warmongers should read.

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  17. Move over Bob Dylan.................... actually you should send it to him, he would get it out there.

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  18. There is no more to be said....other than wonderful..

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  19. I am finding it hard to put words down in response to this. The tears of impotence are flowing, and my arms ache to save them....I can say no more.

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  20. The ink blot too made me think of a bomber. I don't think bombing ever helps anything. It only hurts more innocents caught in the wars of the "gods." I do not want us to bomb Syria. I do wish the world would get together as to the atrocities of that have happened in Syria. War is atrocious. I do wish the world would get together on all of us who go to war. Do we never evolve?

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  21. the cliche near all my life, I have heard "The Pen is Mightier than the Sword"
    And while you dash the page with brilliant displays
    It appears it is all out of our control.
    And it's NOT the people here that dedicate the warmonger's cheer,
    We'd not hurt anyone with bomb or a gun
    Just it seems our government has no soul.

    I don't mean religion, nor moralities that are smitten
    with telling others errors, whether by logic or prayers,
    but the hatred of a small group of shit heads.
    Sorry. That sounded hard, perhaps it's just brown lard
    but Ike's warning was dismissed and the butts of industrial/military kissed,
    and stranger's lives they want to tear to shreds.

    god, I'm embarrassed to be an American, of late our country's only real concerns
    Is MORE profit and filthy lucre to churn, through bloodshed, bombs, bullets, and burns.

    I apologize for my government's madness.

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    1. It's not just your government Boneman, they all seem to be keen to jump on the armoured bandwagon.

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    2. As I wrote above, it's not like America is squeaky clean in the WMD department... remember Napalm? Depleted uranium in bombs more recently?

      Ike was right as rain, too bad no one listened. Amy

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  22. Kill a few and more will be born to stand up / get killed. Ah! a chain reaction. A profound piece!Start realities. the lyrical portion is very very strong

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  23. How come the governments, US or otherwise, always think the next invasion they mount will be different? The Oz government suffered from delusions of adequacy in these cases. At least NZ has some spine.

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  24. Well done. Interesting picture too. haha

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  25. Just lovely and so very touching... lyrics to a song.

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  26. it is an endless cycle...violence brings on more violence...and it is the only answer we seem to be able to come up with in our limited minds....sadly...

    reminds me of the White Lion song....

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  27. a peace march..and I hear the words..

    'Can you hear the children cry?
    Feel the terror in their hearts?
    It’s the horror of a war
    And the suffering it imparts.

    emotionally stirring song

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  28. brilliant, JCN. brilliant

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  29. Well, you have definitely made some good points.

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  30. Cos, this is a mad creative freakin' brill parody, one that needs to be said. I'm spitting pissed at the president, no matter whether he succeeds in a diplomatic solution "because he had the might of the US war machine" on his side or not. The mere fact of the threat was a miscalculated risk... because he lost my support with that action, plain and simple. And I'm a diehard Leftie. This is BRILL BRILL BRILL... Amy

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  31. Wow...I am in awe...this is so well written!

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  32. Moving piece. Such sadness. Well written.

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