DOGS OF WAR

by Barrie Singleton

Friday 8th November 2013 9:14 pm

As war’s abrasion strips his fine veneer

man’s inhumanity his ilk defines.

Bi-pedal dog, scent-primed, unleashed, packed off

he brings a licking to some wrong-tongued foe.

While back in civvy-street, his leaders rise

short-slept from tasting civilized excess

this day newborn in sinless rectitude

to move their boarded pawns with gifted guess.

In blinkered ignorance of Conqueror’s Creed

that sets all free from hypocritic bond

war-leaders mire mere men in conflict’s slough

so deep Geneva’s spires are over-topped.

Unheeding they send mortal men to war

yet heed the call when time comes to deplore.

Comments

barrie singleton

Sat 9th Nov 2013 11:58

Done in Dave's (et al) name so far as I can tell M.C. (Does Elizabeth R take pride in war?)
Our 'D' MOCK CRASS Y? is feudal. We are as ill-used as the infantry who scared the proverbial out of Wellington. Sadly, Dave is too arrogant to fear us. Under the excuse of remembrance I shall add others.

M.C. Newberry

Sat 9th Nov 2013 11:34

Taking up the concept of the marine found guilty
of shooting the badly wounded insurgent.
I wonder if he had been caught by that same
damning camera uttering words of pity and remorse
when finishing him off, whether he would have
been pilloried by the moralists who appear to
quantify acceptable behaviour in the heat of war?
His "Tommy Atkins" bravado was his undoing in
the eyes of those far away from danger and the brutality of conflict when ghastly things are
done in our name...not to mention the ghastly
things done by the enemy for their purposes.

barrie singleton

Fri 8th Nov 2013 22:18

Actually written in 2004 Harry. No idea why.
Lip service keeping us humane will take some pondering. My bible is 'The Lucifer Effect' - Zimbardo - Stanford Prison Experiment.

Harry O'Neill

Fri 8th Nov 2013 22:08

Barrie,

First, I appreciate the `five -beat` form

I (presume?)that this has to do with the shooting of the prisoner by the marine.

I can see that the guilty decision is paying lip service only to the Geneva convention.

But I think that even lip service is essential to keeping us aware of the moral aspirations which are the only things capable of stopping us becoming the howling `Dogs of War` we would become without them.

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DOGS OF WAR

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