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Tag(s): Iraq War; Poetry; War -Antiwar
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May 5, 2007 at 20:30:46

Young, Dumb, And Numb

by Jim Bush Page 1 of 1 page(s)

www.opednews.com

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Young, dumb, and numb

They wrap their childhood pain

Around the cold triggers

Of their weapons

Every slap

Every blow

Every shaming word

Is in the squeeze of every trigger

Every withheld kiss

Every withheld hug

Every unspoken word of praise

Is in the jerk of every weapon's recoil

It feels good!

Take that, you bastard!

Eat that, you rag-head motherfucker!

Fuck you, anyone who ever hurt us!

Thank you, George Bush

For giving us an outlet for our rage!

Thank you, Dick Cheney

For giving us pretty uniforms

And powerful weapons to play with!

Thank you, Condoleeza Rice

For giving us an excuse

To vent our frustrations on the world!

We don't know history

We don't know anything about politics

We don't know anything about the enemy

We don't know anything about life

But now, we know how to shoot

And we know how to kill

Now, we know how to do what we're told

And we know how to feel good about it

Now, we feel strong

and now, we feel powerful

Now, we feel like men!

And these boys, who feel like men

Continue to drive around Iraq

Getting their asses blown off

And these children, who feel like men

Continue to kick in doors

Increasing the hatred towards them

And these babies

Continue to strut their stuff

Sucking up the memories of those they kill

While their leaders argue over what to do

While their leaders talk about how great they are

While their leaders, shamelessly, entice them

While their leaders continue to send them into hell

And when they come home...

Who will explain what happened to them?

Who will help them deal with their new pain?

Who will forgive them when they attack the rest of us?

Who will save them from the madness they carry?

Young, dumb, and numb

They wrap their childhood pain

Around the cold triggers

Of their weapons

Jim Bush is a 61 year old, Vietnam-era veteran, currently living in Katy,Texas. He was raised in a military family. His father received the Silver Star for directing troops while under air attack at Clark Field in the Phillipines, survived the Bataan Death March, and spent three and a half years in a Japanese POW camp. He also received the Purple Heart for wounds received while a POW. Jim served as an army photographer in Okinawa and Korea. In 1987 he traveled to the war zones of Nicaragua with a veteran's group dedicated to stopping the Contra War.