The Military Industrial Complex’s CPAs Never Sleep
We so seldom bury people at sea
in weighted shrouds,
preferring instead sealed
containers or ashes
mixed with concrete.
Little girls skip
down the street,
giggling, unaware of their
value on the open
market. Dollars, oil.
Weapons. All fungible.
On the forgotten shelf,
the avocado’s flesh
blackens inside
its withering armor.
How is too much
never enough?
Targets based on
possibilities, innuendo,
cost-benefit analysis:
three men and a camel,
wedding parties,
hospitals, homes.
When morning comes,
they’re still awake,
collating damage, counting
opportunities, massaging
sums, ignoring cost,
harvesting their dead fruit.
This first appeared here in September 2016.
O at the Edges 
Sober, thoughtful–harvesting their dead fruit indeed. There seems to be a profit in it.
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It’s all about greed and power.
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“Dollars, oil. Weapons. All fungible.” I love how, many of your poems have at least one word that has me running for my dictionary…and then so very glad that I took the time to find the meaning…this, as usual, is an awesome poem…thank you…
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Thanks very much, Patti!
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Dead fruit is so apt as an image (and Billie Holiday is singing in my head). Those Masters of War. They never go away. (K)
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And now Billie is in my head! Which is not a bad thing.
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No it’s not
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Powerful poem! Thanks for sharing. I couldn’t help but notice the subtle references to drone warfare– “targets based on/ possibilities…” I wrote an article about that technology and the problems with it. You might find it interesting: https://www.elephantjournal.com/2015/01/the-truth-behind-drone-warfare/
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Thanks, T.W. Drone warfare is awful. I’ve read a bit about it, and look forward to reading your article.
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Great! Let me know what you think.
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Reblogged this on KCJones.
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Thanks for reblogging.
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Odd war is: utterly wasteful & expensive, takes without giving, there is nothing right or useful about it & yet i hate knowing exactly why people do it despite these logical points, because war is nothing to do with logic, it is counter-logic.
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Same old story – someone wants to take something from someone else – but on a larger scale. Power and profit. Insane.
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Good news from Korea though, Park Geun-hye didn’t get away from her corruption: 24 year prison term & $17 million fine.
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I have a feeling that Trump will skate away, wealthier and unencumbered by remorse. Our political process is too corrupt to hope for justice, our populace too easily swayed by soundbites and lies.
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