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Submitted by quogan on 5 May 2008 - 6:06am.
Style / Type:
freeform
The flag is in hard times
Where there stood thousands with hands on hearts
Is silence and a dog trotting through the hall, leaving its shit behind
There was the pride of the country to hold it with happiness
Shame has thrust it underwater, never to flutter again
Men in government are ashamed, putting it in the back of a cupboard and replacing it with a wall
As blank as the flag itself
Last thing the press needs is another photo of soldiers fighting their way up a hill to shove it into the earth blackened by constant bombing.
That would only inspire aggravation and cynicism
Old men discuss war like a game, flanking the enemy once and for all. Like we haven’t had that one
Now it’s worse for soldiers
They will not be seen or heard
All our flag has left is the wooden pole that it sits on
All else carved away and thrown in a garbage bin labelled “Human rights”
Dumped with the rest of the world.
(1 vote)
Cynical, ironical...
Great, strong images, and very powerful symbolism. The name seems to want an ‘all’, as in ‘Truth, Justice… and all the rest’… I don’t know. But keep writing, you’re good (and slightly inspiring…)
You make it sound like a bad thing the flag has been devalued.
Crikey, without mindless jingoism there could be no wars. No way to persuade the under-privileged and un-educated to become professional killers.
Well written as Liam said, but I think your message is skewed, unless it was intended to be ironical, but that doesn’t come through.
cheers,
Jess