Waiting by the RiverGeneral Sun Tzu wrote in The Art Of War
“wait by the river long enough you will see
the bodies of your enemies go floating past.”
When I was nine a big kid spit in my face last day of school
ran away laughing as I walked to the fountain.
I never saw him again but at sixteen I read in the paper
of his demise, street racing drunk, died at eighteen.
Ashamed of my childhood weakness I cultivated interest in
martial arts and never had trouble with bullies again—
put some in hospital or jail, saved myself and others’ lives.
Now we are become the World’s Policeman…
Nietzsche wrote: “When we hunt dragons, dragons we become”
and we are becoming a dragon, bully, monster, a shadow of
Winthrop’s beloved "shining city on a hill," a perishing republic.
We had the right idea long ago, stay out of foreign wars, let the
Europeans settle their own affairs in the “War to End All Wars”
the Soviet Socialist Republics battled the National Socialists—
let the two monsters kill each other off on the road to perdition,
against Hitler and Hirohito Mr. Stalin became our friend.
Emboldened by our victories, successes, and wealth we ignored
another general, President Eisenhower, warning of the Hydra-headed
monster of the Military-Industrial complex, and plunged into
repeated foreign wars, adventurism, catastrophe, and debt,
shouldering imperial burdens as Hercules took over from Atlas.
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” seemed like good advice
as we armed and aided the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan against the
invading Red Army while Russia endured their own Viet Nam
armed our friend Saddam Hussein of Iraq against Ayatollahs in Iran.
Soon we were pursuing our former friend Osama bin Laden
the enemy of our enemy was no longer our friend, but he has many
friends, most of whom have become our enemies, all of whom are
waiting by the river….
