I Don’t Support the Troops

Well, it’s time to lose a few of my blog’s followers. I’m sorry to see you go, but I know that after reading this, some of you won’t want anything more to do with me. So, why am I posting it? Maybe, it’s because it seems like there’s no point in writing a poem if you don’t share it with people. Maybe, it’s because I know that avoiding conflict gets in the way of more fully living according to my convictions. One of these convictions is that I should speak my truth even if it reveals differences in values with people I respect and with whom I have ongoing relationships. So here it is, the death-knell to maintaining readership among those who only barely tolerate my blog or who were lured in by some innocuous post poking fun at English grammar.

That was a long fear-induced introduction to:

I don’t support the troops

I don’t support the troops

I don’t
Support
The troops
Outside of right wing fanatical religious zealots,
I am the only person in America who does not support the troops
A political party of one
Fighting for illusions, money, pride, vengeance, loyalty, sense of duty, obligation…
I don’t care.
I Don’t Support the Troops.

I hate sports
I hate
Sports
I am the only person in America who doesn’t care about the game, any game
A religion of one
Communities spending money to build stadiums, little kids told how to engage in ritualistic war simulation, win, win, win…
I don’t care.
I Hate Sports.

I despise both religion and atheism
I despise
Both
Religion and atheism
I am the only person in America who can’t stand peoples’ religion and peoples’ anti-religion
A support group of one
One is absurdly nonsensical, the other obnoxiously self-righteous
I don’t care.
I Despise Both Religion and Atheism.

Competition sickens me
Competition
Sickens me
I am the only person in America who is sickened by competition
A community of one
Healthy competition, survival through competition, contests, awards…
I don’t care.
Competition Sickens Me.

I oppose hunting
I oppose
Hunting
I am the only person in America who opposes all hunting
A club of one
Thinning the herd, hunting for food, for sport, using the whole animal, trophies, bows, guns, hooks…
I don’t care.
I Oppose Hunting.

I am against all war
I
Am
Against
All
War
A society of one
I am the only person in America who is against all past, present and future wars
Preemptive war, defensive war, justified war, war on drugs, on poverty, on terror…
I don’t care.
I Am Against All War.

I’m not better than anyone else
I’m not worse than anyone else
But I’m tired of hiding my truth
I Do Not Support the Troops

—

One of these daisies will take you to a poem about blogging. The other, well, who knows?