This is an appeal against the Iraq war and was written before the Iraq war commenced. This is just a reflection of the prevailing views of those times where virtually the whole world had turned against the united states. Poetry being the “spontaneous overflow of powerful emotions”, I wrote a poem on the subject only to convey the emotions poetically. My personal views on the subject have been that since the American culture is popular all over the world, USA is muscular as well as charming. It should have used its muscles less and charm more. Though the original posted earlier(2003) was around 6000 wrods long, today(19/10/2007), I am posting the revised editing versin which is only 1500 words long.
Appeal to the president against the war(3)
Inspite of the fact that the whole world continues to deplore Not only in the whole world, even in the USA there is an uproar You continue to hanker for war In Cambodia, Vietnam etc the American public has already been through all this before Nobody wants to have an encore There are too many against you; most are therefore wondering and asking “What for”? There is no marginal edge or wafer thin majority this time; you are not confronting Al gore.
In continuing your tirade against Iraq, You are behaving like a world Monarch You have ignored world opinion as if it was some lark or an isolated remark. You continue to treat sane caution as if it was some stray dog’s bark. The united states is behaving like a bully; it resembles an all engulfing shark. Invading Iraq will have the opposite effect of what was attempted in history by Bismarck
You seem to be as intoxicated by power as an Alcoholic by Whisky. In taking the world opinion lightly, you are taking a step that is extremely risky. A former president paid the price for being frivolous and frisky This could prove to be your waterloo i.e your presidency’s Lewinsky. (Monica)
Whether it is Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, El Salvador, Nicaragua or Libya Each nation’s sovereignty is as dear to it as yours is to you, my dear Dubya. Your stand is as repulsive as the one-time hunger of Ethiopia, the apartheid of Namibia Refraining from war may make you as popular as the movie “Lawrence of Arabia” If you cannot make the world a Utopia, at least do not add another phobia. An American President cannot afford to suffer from Myopia.
My appeal is to the Indian Diaspora It is our duty to protect the innocent along with their fauna and flora Our heritage teaches us that a genuine leader should have a mystique; an aura. It seems that inspite of his success, the president perhaps is uninfluenced by Deepak Chopra. Try the emotional front; prevail upon the president that the children of the third world are as dear to them as to him are Jenna and Barbara. Perhaps this fact would be better appreciated by dear Laura.
There are many of the opinion that weapons inspection is just a foil It doesn’t need the diligence of a Sherlock holmes/ Sir Arthur Cannon doyle. To realize that America may actually be after Iraq’s oil It is shameful for a nation that has a legacy of immigrant’s labour and toil. As it is you have a bad image and there are too many other problems, why further spoil? No nation however powerful has a jurisdiction beyond its own soil. Why pursue such an agenda, why put the whole world in turmoil? Don’t complain later if there is another 9/11 and terrorists’ blood continues to boil.
I hope that somewhere in America, this strikes a Chord. History has shown that the pen is more powerful than the sword. David can take on Goliath has been shown domestically by how Iacocca took on Ford. Repeatedly hearing of how the Japanese turned the tables on you economically in the past has me bored. Internationally, another 9/11 is something that America and the world can ill afford. You need to improve your record, stop behaving like the world’s warlord.
Non violence cannot be mentioned without Dr Martin Luther King It would be an understatement to say that he was an extraordinary human being Had he been around there would have been no need for anybody else to sing. Unfortunately, you are not an intellectual; we would be better off with plato’s doctrine of philosopher king.
Looking at the United States blatant hegemony, A great president like Lincoln would turn in grave in shame and ignominy It is not Iraq, it is your conduct that should bear scrutiny You cannot be allowed to steer the world’s Destiny. The whole world should arise in Mutiny Novel ways will have to be thought of to oppose M/s Bush and Cheney For trying to wage a war that is Phoney.
A nation that boasts of the statue of liberty Cannot thrust down the throats of others issues like Non-proliferation treaty It has no business messing around on other people’s property It has to have a sense of propriety. We shall fight this hypocrisy with both diplomacy and poetry With your weapons Inventory, With your redoubtable infantry, You can’t just invade any another country. Your policies need the kind of changes that kids face on reaching puberty Rather than play dirty, It would be better to use your might and wealth to alleviate poverty.
The population in Iraq is probably sitting tight. It is shameful to take on somebody who has no chance of standing up to your might. After a decade of sanctions, why aggravate innocent women and children’s plight. It should prick America’s conscience day and night. Leadership cannot be expected from a nation which has lost its sense of wrong and right. Don’t forget 9/11; there were American and other innocents on many a flight.
After the fall of USSR, one cannot even say pick somebody of your size You have to realize that you do not have the authority to penalize Your and the world’s future you will jeopardize If you think that I am trying to dramatize or sensationalize In 9/11, you have already paid too heavy a prize, do I need to emphasize? I did not want write so long but your actions have been such that I cannot summarize.
It is clear that Iraq has not been harboring any terrorist. One cannot fathom why war is something on which you still insist. You should not express surprise if the rest of the world tries to resist. Dignity is not confined to America; a smaller nation has as much right to exist.
The current American presidents continue to both amuse and bemuse One president tried to seduce. You are creating a crises instead of trying to diffuse For going to war, America has no real excuse. Iraq is an unfortunate underdog that it is wrongly trying to accuse There are protests the world over; to listen you continue to refuse. Can one think of a worse case of power abuse? Instead, there is no reason why a sane foreign policy you cannot introduce Then, people abroad shall respond to you the way Americans do to Tom Cruise.
It is a pity that nobody has been able to prevail upon Uncle Sam Than the impending war against Iraq is a Sham You have been ignoring world opinion as if was irrelevant email spam. Please do not push the world in further bedlam. It would be prudent if you withdraw from your war Program It would not be surprising if your obsession with Saddam Proves counterproductive and turns out to be another Vietnam
Perhaps it is because of the dwindled influence of Moscow Otherwise inspite of facing many a fiasco One cannot understand the Americans penchant to overthrow In America and the rest of the world it raises many an eyebrow. Especially after the failed attempts made on Fidel Castro Democracy at home, dictatorship abroad; as it is you tend to move to and fro. The US intervenes unnecessarily all over the world the way traveling is done by a Tennis pro No wonder the resentment against you continues to grow As far as the world is concerned, invading Iraq is the last straw.
Some people want to follow Osama Richard Gere wants to follow the Dalai Lama Even we have stopped following the Mahatma.
Further, currently in India too, there are disputes over the real legacy of Lord Rama.
Directionless is not confined to you; you should manage world relations in a way that the world resembles a panorama. Please don’t go on and on like this; we don’t want another Hiroshima.
For a country that produced Dale Carnegie Remembering “How to win friends and influence people” ;your attitude is seems quite braggy Your policies are quite hazy and foggy The cold war has ended; we don’t have to continue to follow M/s Reagan and Maggie.
War seems to be on the brim The situation really seems to be quite grim Innocent lives are at stake; everybody should try to avoid war although chances are slim I have no axe to grind; My name may be Hiren Shah but I am not a muslim.
Want to review or comment on this poem?
Need a FREE Reader Membership?
Reviews of "Appeal to the president against the Iraq war"
Too bad Bush is still not listening.
Peace to you and yours,
Carolyn