60. The Body Count

by Werner Lange - Ohio

They will not be listed as casualties of war
Their photos will not appear in the newspapers among the war dead
Their names will not be engraved
Upon monuments in small towns across America
Honoring those who made the supreme sacrifice

They will not be called American Heroes

No, those poor folk lying dead
In the polluted waters of New Orleans
Will be remembered as those poor folks
Maybe even those poor Black folks
Or, more likely, those poor victims of a natural disaster

Masters of deceit don't want us to connect the dots or deaths

Isn't it just too bad what happened to them?!
How tragic! How awful! But what can you do?
How can you help people who won't help themselves?
Why didn't they leave
Like they were ordered to do
Before the hurricane hit?
Gotta shoot those looters!
Besides, since when do Black citizens have any rights
That Government is bound to respect?
Gotta kill those terrorists!
We need to fight them over there before they hit us over here

Ad nauseum

In New Orleans, it was the old ordeal:
Racism was delivered, and racism was denied
In Baghdad, it was more body bags:
Rich man's war, and a poor man's fight

In both, truth became the first casualty
In both, the invisible in life became visible in death:
The cannon fodder became heroes
And the nobodies became statistics

Now, in death, they count
That is at least something
But it is not enough, not by a long shot

The count that would really make a difference
Between life and death
Is yet to be taken

It is that long list of counts on an indictment
Against those responsible for this organized murder
And those masters of disasters
Who left the penniless in New Orleans defenseless
And who wage war without end and without truth in Iraq

Your numbers are up -

Counts 1-2000:
You lied, and some 2000 Americans in uniforms died in Iraq
Counts 2000-4000+:
You lied, and some 2000 Americans in rags died in New Orleans

Your time is up -

A storm of righteous anger is brewing in the hearts of Americans
And this time those below contempt
Not below sea level and the poverty line
Will be swept from power


Hellicane category: 4-POLITICAL