It doesn’t make any sense,
this war.
This war on terror.

Terror’s everywhere.
It’s in our horror of the world
when the world refuses to conform
to our perceptions.
It’s instinctive and natural,
the antelope paused from grazing
becomes prey.
It’s human.
It’s in the nightmares of children,
and in our fears for lost freedom.

So, you wonder,
who they’re fighting.
In this war.
That doesn’t make sense.

Those who’d want to inflict terror?
Those for whom terror is a weapon?
Those whose own sense of terror is so great
they retaliate?

And, you wonder,
how they’re fighting.
In this war,
that doesn’t make sense.

What are the means that defeat terror?
Do you drop them from planes
or fire them from automatic rifles?
Do they need troops on the ground for deployment?
Can they read minds and detain suspects indefinitely?

And fatally,
can it have an ending.
Can there be an ending to a war.
A war on terror.

When will terror be purged
from the hearts and minds of men.
When will fear and dread no longer exist.
As a result of a war
that doesn’t make any sense.

© Shaun Greggs, 2004 (all rights reserved)