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Tabish Khair on Cartoon Wars
I am growing fond of Tabish Khair’s poetry. Just read this remarkable poem:
Cartoon Wars
Let’s spell out this world.
Generally speaking, we are civilised.
Evil is something others do, mostly.
Not that we are perfect. No, that’s not what I mean.
Occasionally we make mistakes.
Criticism of it should bear that in mind.
It happens: a bomb gone bad, some brutal soldiers.
Doesn’t mean our intentions were not good.
Evil is something others do, mostly.
Germans, or at least Nazis, and communists, Muslims:
Evil is something they do, mostly.
Now the difference between us and them is this:
On every occasion we were willing to meet them, but they
Could not imagine a world with us, with people like us
In it. No, they can’t. That’s the problem. They
Don’t mean what they say, say what they mean. Damn.
Evil is something they do, always.
Tags: cartoon wars, evil, poem, Poetry, Tabish Khair
June 24th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Good poem. I particularly liked the last half of it.
I think most of us were (or still are) thinking that as the end of Bush administration is approaching, it may mean there is not going to be any new wars waged against any members of the ‘axis of evil’. But rumor (and it might turn out to be just a rumor) has it that just before the next elections, there could be another ‘terrorist attack’ on uncle tom which may help Bush and company to put martial law in the country.