Don Pearson's 'Innocence' | A Poignant Reflection on Loss and Humanity 🌾

I have caught tears in my mouth, <br />washed in the dust of the dead, <br />burned the grass in the meadows, <br />watched the fires spread. <br /> <br />I was told by my leaders <br />to kill in my country’s fight. <br />Crimes are defined by victors, <br />We say what’s right. <br /> <br />I flew into a building <br />to tear apart people’s lives. <br />I exult in destruction. <br />No hope survives. <br /> <br />My end is a beginning <br />to death on a massive scale, <br />more “collateral damage”, <br />more children wail. <br /> <br />I just followed my orders, <br />with no judgement as to wrongs, <br />dropped bombs where I was told to, <br />missed the death songs. <br /> <br />I can’t be held to be guilty, <br />my duty is to obey. <br />Others will face reprisals, <br />I’ll walk away. <br /> <br />My faith’s pursuit of money, <br />Towns round the world are aflame, <br />Profits require hard decisions, <br />No one’s to blame. <br /> <br />I don’t care that they’re starving. <br />I have got targets to meet. <br />What’s it to me you’re homeless? <br />Live on the street! <br /> <br />No one on earth can stop me. <br />I am beyond all their power. <br />My beliefs have gone global. <br />This is my hour! <br /> <br />I will raise the old gods here, <br />worship at altars of gold, <br />Rip flesh from my opponents, <br />ravish the old. <br /> <br />Now I can see my future, <br />I drink the blood of a child, <br />served in a famous restaurant, <br />where bones are piled. <br /> <br /> <br />(Dedicated to those who are not personally responsible. Without you, this would not be possible./2nd. Sep.2001 <br />verses 3 and 4,18th Sep, following the attack on the World Trade Centre.)<br /><br />Don Pearson<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/innocence-37/