What have We Become

What have We Become
There are now anti-Sheehan protesters! Groups have mobilized to protest against the mother of a soldier who questions the purpose of her son’s death. We shouldn’t be surprised. When violence is chic, hatred of women runs a parallel course. Historically, when brutality and violence rule a political course, women are reduced to a narrow role as producers of war machines that should be proud of their bomb-like male contributions. WWI poet Wilfred Owen questions this in his poem “Dulce Est Decorum Est” which asks the reader to reconsider the old ideal It is right and honorable to die for ones country, Sheehan has a similar question, “How was his death honorable?”

When the war drums beat before the Great War, the Futurist group wrote a famous declaration which embraced industrial society and promoted art, poetry, literature, and social ideas such as this found in the ninth thesis of the 1909 Marinetti Manifesto:
"We will glorify War--the world's only hygiene- militarism, patriotism, the destructive gesture of freedom-bringers, beautiful ideas worth dying for and scorn for women."

Just think, the world’s only hygiene refers to the uncanny way in which war reduces the working class of people and leaves the rich and the elite to survive and thrive. Scorn for women runs parallel to the promotion of war. Later, elite artists such as Wyndham Lewis expound further on this misogyny in Blast magazine when he writes:

"Woman's function, the manufacturing of children (even more important than cartridges and khaki suits) is only important from this point of view....It takes the deft woman we employ anything from twelve to sixteen years to fill and polish these little human cartridges, and they of course get fond of them in the process" Blast Magazine.

So we make cartridges called sons, and now in 2005, even cartridges called daughters! We've really moved forward. There is no hiding from the concept that women have done their service to the nation by producing sons and that they have no right to ask why their sons aren't coming back. The red-right hates anyone who would question the death of a son, and these extremists embody the fascism of Marinetti. They selectively glorify war, destruction, and scorn for women.

We do not have a clear exit plan or a goal to reach in this war. Our military has had problems with giving men adequate training, properly armored vehicles, and adequate body armor. A government ready to sacrifice sons and daughters should have its “stuff” together. Because of what I see as military incompetence, every mom has a right to ask Bush a few questions. I think every man over there who has a long deployment whose families have fallen apart has the same right to ask, “Did I have to be there so long.” Finally, when Cindy asks the question about her son I'd like her to ask one for me. If we can go into debt into the trillions over a foreign war, why can't we spend more money on education and health care? Aren't we worth it?

When society embraces militarism, patriotism and hatred of mothers it is time to stop the politics and start questioning what we have become. What have we become?

(Great links on this which I will post later)- sorry it's not a poem- J

Tejas

When you left, I wrote a poem
the size of a bullet
on the side of the bracelet
you bought as an apology.

What is the heat like where you are,
strumming your invisible guitar?
What can you say in Spanish
that you could never say to me?

two colors seperate merge

two colors separate merge



into a third label
not either also
not other elegance as a key
to reality next to ultimate
uncreated partial record
hesitate remains unbe
in a vacuum as always
detdetritus
detritus
detritus rare acknowledged
unsually a case given pause
one page dying the next
inborn mores structures
adam threat recedes onto distance
limbo bomb requires courage
how to pour out how to pour on inflect
no inflict
ok how to pour on inflict
rogue cabinets relayed
inaction covered with melting
benefit of forgetting flesh
how every small forms basis
forwards come oddity
joseph its four words commodity
alright vowel worlds company
no i said foul towards commodal tea
no i heard you say the first time
your heard flies away from me elemental undramatic
intending to what we
that is enough just stick to reading the text
i didnt want to read this shit anyway chandler
well then why dont you get off the fucking stage
alright but you are not coming up here to read this shit
yes i am

this isnt going anywhere you arent going anywhere
not opposite despair
faced faced
renewal renewal
of pronouns
adds up without adds up without
as centered self
path
os
tele
apathy

sounds like bombs hounds like moms
i knew the liar profound anew the fire around

moon view map noon cue apt
nope ohms dress poetry
anecdote why phonectical try
mess of despair address of a bear
eliminate enough to hear more
why did you do that
because i am bored
and why are you bored
because you are whoring
a hammer a nail
finished by finished by
a nail annulled
annotated annotated cantos cantos
they hate
what we are trying to what are they trying to

remember forget
let us see what happens here each day a new liver
climate ugly hats beyond this new event
you shouldnt have written this by hand warning no viewer is needed
collision collusion
contrusted encrusted
debated unconscious
when water beef handshakes
i c or j i am i
no roof i knew looking and not eye
circumfrence full i and translating not i
chin ass u i into i for i
sometimes the viola stops
the language of chided as new i the i becomes
image is i not the i
we could all perceive more i looking but now i
subject of divide doesnot and stops
and sometimes the violin
creeley as minimus olson as maximus
corso as coffee
ginsberg in the early night bliss
ferlinghetti is croissant
pound as prebrevity of an unclear definition
ohara as munch
spicer as being done by the language
lavender is lavender
we leave plato out
the rose a rose a rose a rose a rose
this mortality this eternity
causal casual