Baghdad


Black smoke fills the city
from one end to the other.
The smart bombs have out-smarted the buildings.

They crumble in a pile of stone tablets
that tell the story of a people
annihilated by barbarians.

Gilgamesh lies in the ruins.
Sometimes history (and even pre-history)
is no match for the present.

The weapons of mass destruction
fly overhead and drop their democracy
unto the masses.

The children gaze at the city
and flee the freedom
bestowed upon them!