Tears of Rage

shrill and hysterical
these putdowns of the war
whats wrong with peace lovers
dont they want a war miss scarlett
fiddle de dee

i see the soldiers
feel the boulders
bombs dislodge
thats my arm in the rubble
and my breath that bloody bubble
forgot to dodge

dont weep for me
weep for politics
religion
businessmen
murderers
military men
flags and parade marshalls

one day go to market
next supply collateral damage
****

War From the Other Side
hang a lantern in these dead eyes
that i might witness war from the other side
see how the glow spots on the rise
a crater ringed by human matter undignified

put on my face the tears i cannot cry
place the childrens bodies on the slab beside me
someone may come to claim us by and by
i long please for the cool earth a box to hide me

great jaws shaking me like a storm ridden willow tree
the demon of war tearing at the throats of all the young men
in eden on the planets other end a veil calm as tea
a young girl dances to grandmothers approving grin
god is so good she applauds god is so good

Where Freedom Is (it really ain't)

for Greg Caton

Well he became an outlaw
Like Jesse James
And Pretty Boy Floyd
All because he told the truth

In a land where freedom is
It really ain’t
If you don’t walk the line
You get martyred like a saint

He prepared his healing herbs
Like merchants of old
Sold them on the web
To grateful ones like me

FDA took him to jail
Like a petty thief
To serve thirty three months
And then a long parole

In a land where freedom is
It really ain’t
If you don’t walk the line
You get martyred like a saint

Rogue agent worked treachery
To make further grief
Greg went to Guayaquil
To work and to be safe

Agent kidnapped him away
For jumping parole
He’s rotting in the jail
It’s up to you and me

To make certain freedom is
Where it just ain’t
Where you don’t walk the line
And get martyred like a saint

Make them let Greg go now
Get back to his work
And make the FDA
Answer to the law

For in this land where freedom is
It really ain’t
If you don’t walk the line
You get martyred like a saint

the ghosts of the flowers
dot your memory in our absense
the leaves of the hours
hang their shadows over the fence
in shapes of tears

oh dark angel of the field of loss
where shall i plant this dangling cross
where slant the ague with sorrow drenched
where slam the rainbow like a fist thats clenched
or splay this heart of fears

All the wars eventually
Must fall before Walks of Peace
Walks of Peace, Walks of Peace
Must fall before Walks of Peace

I dreamed I went with MLK
On a rare and fateful day
As he strolled along with me
We journeyed back through history

We saw all the wars of race
Wars of countries, even faith
He declared these wars all must cease
Folks must be troops for Walks of Peace

Yes the wars eventually
Must fall before Walks of Peace
Walks of Peace, Walks of Peace
Must fall before Walks of Peace

As Martin said, Don’t be deceived
All of these wars are wars of greed
Its up to us these wars must cease
Folks must be troops for Walks of Peace

Toasting Marshmallows

He sat toasting marshmallows
Over a burning corpse.
They'd together faced battles
Where one's character morphs.
He looked for angel nurses
At first but soon sat down.
The flames defied his curses;
He toasted them black-brown.

He ate, burning his poor tongue,
Wished his friend lasting peace,
Who had coughed up his lung.
He'd witnessed the release;
No more was to be gathered;
He packed away his gear.
And not that it really mattered,
At last the nurse appeared.

Just came up on random - spoken word by the late Greg Giraldo

Thanks, hingehead. I will probably come back and watch it a second time later. Under the green arches -

Rick Perry enters presidential race

I googled the lyrics to follow as he sang.