booksartyoume

'how many times will i cry, still? Timothy r gates, 5/24/2008

too many guns, too many boys,
girls too, now
i still can feel that day,
'four dead in OHIO,' then the rest
-the boys shot real bullets,
their bosses still blame them
cowards gave the order;
cowards blame the ones following the command
(if one had refused to fire,
the same bastards would've court marshaled the boys)
cousin, my three year senior,
he carried body bags in Viet Nam,
found solace in a bottle
-me too
we found each other, later
AA prayed,
'...give me the serenity to accept
the things that i cannot change...'
we found, later
there's just too many damn things
too many damn guns
too many boys, girls
-we don't let them drink
but we put weapons in their hands,
do our dirty work
send in others' children, later
carry out the dead boys, still in bags
(here's an offering:
send in the old fucks that send the boys and girls,
keep the children home...
at least until they're legal to drink)
courage, courage!
heroes die at the command of cowards.
how many times will I cry, still?
-then i pause, think to myself,
'touch my boys or girls
and I'll kill you bastards!'
ah, the question is found begging
-how long, o l-o-r-d,
will you continue to permit
the innocents' free-will to be violated?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rf36v0epfmI LEONARD COHEN VID