Poem: Rumour

war chess — Photo by Gladson Xavier on Pexels.com

Rumour

Tell me I’m wrong
but I’m hearing of wars
and rumours of wars,
some crystal clear pictures
of stark weapons pointing high,
spying drones brought low
and the smiling faces of men
I’m told are my enemy.

Each channel I see
repeats the same message
almost word for word,
so I switch it all off
and listen to the birds,
the sounds of my conscience –
common sense saying
that the end is not yet.

copyright Leofwine Tanner 2019

Haiku: The Bombardier

Doing your duty
Negated conscience see all –
where the night bombs fell

copyright Leofwine Tanner 2019

Haiku: The Rear Gunner

army burial cemetery cross — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Trapped in a tail spin
shot up and bleeding, no hope
What went through your mind?

copyright Leofwine Tanner 2019

Poem: Terrorform

brown and black crater — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

From the first day let us start to terraform Mars,
make oceans from melting ice caps

and rivers run red through the rusty soil.
Day two let’s release plankton into the sea,

let out vast shoals of fish to feed on them
and steely predators to feast on the fish.

Day three we’ll throw spores into the sparse air
and watch the forests grow, the trees

stretch high up the slopes of Olympus Mons.
Day four let’s release mammals, birds

and other fauna into the forests and fields,
to watch them gorge on the goodness

of the land, enjoy the clarity of the sky.
Then on day five we’ll take ourselves

to the former red planet, to become
the feared Martians we thought were there.

Day six let us wage glorious, total war
among ourselves, make the rivers run red

in the name of the god who named this place.
And day seven let us rest, exhausted by labour

and lust, to examine our new abomination
from the safety of space’s vacuum,

in orbit with Phobos and Demos
without fear or dread of another first day.

The Day in History – Henri the Fourth of France Assassinated

Henri-Pourbus — By Frans Pourbus the Younger – from web, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8918292

Today in 1610, King Henry the Fourth of France was assassinated.

Henri, although baptised as a Catholic, was brought up as a Protestant. Due to the inflammatory religious situation in France and his background, he was at times considered an enemy by both Catholics and Protestants alike. As a result, there were many previous assassination attempts.

Despite often being unpopular during his reign, he was nevertheless considered a successful king, in economic, cultural, military and diplomatic terms, but only achieved his current status as a great king posthumously, when a virtual cult arose in his memory.

He was assassinated on May 14 1610 by a fanatic called Ravaillac in the Rue de la Ferronnerie, Paris.

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Doing your duty Negated conscience see all – where the night bombs fell

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Trapped in a tail spin shot up and bleeding, no hope What went through your mind?

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From the first day let us start to terraform Mars, make oceans from melting ice caps

and rivers run red through the rusty soil. Day two let’s release plankton into the sea,

let out vast shoals of fish to feed on them and steely predators to feast on the fish.

Day three we’ll throw spores into the sparse air and watch the forests grow, the trees

stretch high up the slopes of Olympus Mons. Day four let’s release mammals, birds

and other fauna into the forests and fields, to watch them gorge on the goodness

of the land, enjoy the clarity of the sky. Then on day five we’ll take ourselves

to the former red planet, to become the feared Martians we thought were there.

Day six let us wage glorious, total war among ourselves, make the rivers run red

in the name of the god who named this place. And day seven let us rest, exhausted by labour

and lust, to examine our new abomination from the safety of space’s vacuum,

in orbit with Phobos and Demos without fear or dread of another first day.

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Doing your duty
Negated conscience see all –
where the night bombs fell

Trapped in a tail spin
shot up and bleeding, no hope
What went through your mind?

From the first day let us start to terraform Mars,
make oceans from melting ice caps

and rivers run red through the rusty soil.
Day two let’s release plankton into the sea,

let out vast shoals of fish to feed on them
and steely predators to feast on the fish.

Day three we’ll throw spores into the sparse air
and watch the forests grow, the trees

stretch high up the slopes of Olympus Mons.
Day four let’s release mammals, birds

and other fauna into the forests and fields,
to watch them gorge on the goodness

of the land, enjoy the clarity of the sky.
Then on day five we’ll take ourselves

to the former red planet, to become
the feared Martians we thought were there.

Day six let us wage glorious, total war
among ourselves, make the rivers run red

in the name of the god who named this place.
And day seven let us rest, exhausted by labour

and lust, to examine our new abomination
from the safety of space’s vacuum,

in orbit with Phobos and Demos
without fear or dread of another first day.