Craig Teichen

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All Your Weapons

le beau monde: AK-47s, M-16s, Apache helicopters

how kind are all your weapons? have they heroes to endure?
do they always aim for numbers? is their lock on us secure?

at their barrel's end, a flower? do they put on love a spin?
in the carriage of their motion does each flower child win?

is their priming powder ready? does their action have a stall?
does the script belong to many? of the dead have they recall?

so when we get through history ... pray ... what nations do they claim?
does armistice mean liberty and Hitler have a name?

how kind are all your weapons? have they bothered death before?
do they have a sense of duty ... namely: let's just stick to war?

do the dreams of others matter? should we listen to their Troy?
does their fire-power chatter mean each soldier's a good boy?

and while their strength here is not shy and people's hopes go broke
it's comforting to know the lie: that war is good for folk


Bio:
Craig Teichen is a long-standing Chicago resident, poet and short-story writer. He is also a gay rights, anti-war activist.


(author retains copyright)