Shorjah Market Went Pop

One can be for war
and at the same time one
can be for caramel frappuccino
for batter dipped onion blossoms
for pecan crusted salmon steak
and many other limited time special offers.

One can be for war
but not the bad kind,
America’s magical moral Lipitor
flushes arteries clean of blame.

One can be for war
and still enjoy
a bowl of deniability
with cherries and coconut crème.

One can be for war
and for pulled pork chipotle fajitas
and not be for shredded muscle
gumming up the speakers of
a music shop playing Beyonce
in Shorjah Market
the day it went ‘pop.’

One can be for war
and for fudge ribbon swirl loaded
with hazelnut clusters
and honestly not be for
the ball-bearing stare of
unnamed nine year old boy who
wets his bed every night and who
refuses to let Baba throw out
his sodden Pikachio
around the corner from Shorjah Market.

We’ve got pure intentions to spare
to fill another Tigris
with their blood, meat, gristle, brain, and bile
were there a KBR contractor idle with enough
third country nationals and backhoes and catered
meals and mercenaries
to do the job.

We’re there to get a job done.
We’ll pay any price, bear any calorie burden
for freedom from reckoning.
We thought really altruistic thoughts of them
swallowed warm brownie sundae for them
the day Shorjah Market went pop.
We shook our heads, sighed, swallowed resolutely.
One can be for war and for fresh guacamole
One can be for life and not taste their guts in
our garlic mashed potatoes

Oh lovely deniability
sweet separability
flower of consumer democracy
Long may it reign!
God save Iran from our compassion.
God save Syria from our sympathy.

5-16-07