Discernment
I understand you can kidnap a man,
hold him for years by moving him
from place to place for purposes
of extracting money from his family,
terrorize him, beat him, and cower
him into complicity before dressing
him in an orange jump suit, leading
him onto the sand, and cutting
his head off in the name of your god.
Or you can capture a man,
hold him for years by moving him
from place to place for purposes
of extracting intelligence,
terrorize him, beat him, and cower
him into confessing before releasing
him to his enemies where he will
disappear or become the victim
of an apparent suicide,
all in the name of defending
your liberty and the state.
The difference, I am asked
to believe, is significant.
George Lober is the author of two books of poetry, Shift of Light (Hummingbird Press, 2002) and A Bridge to There (Hummingbird Press, 2009). His poems have appeared numerous journals and e-zines, including Eclectic Literary Forum, Quarry West, The Homestead Review, The Monterey Poetry Review, The Porter Gulch Review, MiPoesias, The Anthology of Monterey Bay Poets, and Lily. He is a former winner of the Ruth Cable Memorial Prize for Poetry.
I understand you can kidnap a man,
hold him for years by moving him
from place to place for purposes
of extracting money from his family,
terrorize him, beat him, and cower
him into complicity before dressing
him in an orange jump suit, leading
him onto the sand, and cutting
his head off in the name of your god.
Or you can capture a man,
hold him for years by moving him
from place to place for purposes
of extracting intelligence,
terrorize him, beat him, and cower
him into confessing before releasing
him to his enemies where he will
disappear or become the victim
of an apparent suicide,
all in the name of defending
your liberty and the state.
The difference, I am asked
to believe, is significant.
George Lober is the author of two books of poetry, Shift of Light (Hummingbird Press, 2002) and A Bridge to There (Hummingbird Press, 2009). His poems have appeared numerous journals and e-zines, including Eclectic Literary Forum, Quarry West, The Homestead Review, The Monterey Poetry Review, The Porter Gulch Review, MiPoesias, The Anthology of Monterey Bay Poets, and Lily. He is a former winner of the Ruth Cable Memorial Prize for Poetry.