Note: This poem, written back in the 1980s, was published originally as part of one of the most unique collections of antiwar poems ever created. It happened in 2003, prior to the start of the Iraq War.
nth Position, a well known literary website, put out a call for poets to submit poems to be collected into a free, downloadable chapbook called “100 Poets Against The War.” The resulting chapbook of 100 poems was created in one week from over 1500 entries, and the file was downloaded over 175,000 times; copies were used at readings and protest rallies all over the world.
The poems were eventually collected into a book of the same title by Salt Publishing in the UK in 2004; all proceeds were donated to Amnesty International. I am proud to have been part of this powerful phenomenon.
And I am saddened and angry that it remains forever relevant.
For the people of Gaza.
T
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What d’you call it
that thing
that thing that came in the night
that hung above our village
and a war fell onto us from its mouth
what d’you call it
What d’you call it
that thing
I couldn’t see it too well in the dark
I think it had grey skin
know it had red eyes
it wasn’t a dragon
it was too hungry to be a dragon
it was too angry
Whatever it was
a thing like that
ought not to be free
ought not to be let loose to do that
ought to be locked up
ought to be somewhere else
What d’you call it
that thing
that roasts your children
that cinders your wife
takes your father in flame
melts your tongue to the roof of your mouth
burns the consonants out of you
until all you can do is scream open throated, only vowels,
nothing to give shape or form to the sound
no words
and what words could you have had before this
to describe — this
what d’you call it?
Yes
I suppose
you could call it
a helicopter
a vertical takeoff and landing armored air support vehicle
an Apache
a Cobra
and I suppose its anger and hunger could be
a mistake
an unfortunate incident
nothing to deter us from our mission
but
HELLFUCKER – SHITCLOUD – DARKRAPER- CHILDBURNER – SKYEATER
STORMSWAN – DEVILROAR – DEATHBIRD – WIDOWERMAKER
FLAME GOD HAMMER –
all work just as well
There are no clean words for some things
Dark Matter 