Empires Go To Hell: A Poem by Dennis Serdel

For Veterans Day, 2012

By Dennis Serdel, Vietnam 1967-68 (one tour) Light Infantry, Americal Div. 11th Brigade, purple heart, Veterans For Peace 50 Michigan, Vietnam Veterans Against The War, United Auto Workers GM Retiree, in Perry, Michigan

Empires Go To Hell

the heat seeps through the helmet
boils the sheet metal on all the desert
camouflaged trucks and vehicles
the oversized rucksack pulls
on the shoulders
grinds away on the gut
everybody is not fighting the war
only a few considering
all the Soldiers around the world
this long war is taking its toll
like sores eating the brain
the body is beginning to ache
the head the back the legs
grind on but the pain pills
only help but canʼt cure exhaustion
they canʼt give back
the days the months the years
who canʼt count all the steps
nobody can count the miles
and waiting feel the minutes
the hours the days then go on
wasting a life for this battlefield
that goes back to blood on the soil
to every invasion by all sorts
of empires in the past
where only cemeteries
and memorials remain
the world must get rid of empires
all they do is invade and rape
small countries for any type
of gold the little countries have
but the empires may be
brought down within
and work against the empires
of the world until there
are no empires anymore.

Obama's War - It's Poetry

Friends,

Occasionally I am overwhelmed by the immensity of the challenges to building a peaceful world and must step back for a moment (or a few days) and take a deep breath before going on. Thanks to a deep spiritual grounding along with the support of family and a strong community of peacemakers, I always get back on track fairly quickly. Today was one of those getting-back-on-track days.

I met with a couple of fellow peace activists and one of the first things Tom dropped in my lap was a powerful poem called "Obama's War", by Dennis Serdel, a Vietnam combat veteran. Dennis served one tour from 1967 to 1968 in the Americal Division, 11th Brigade, Light Infantry. Dennis is now a member of Veterans for Peace #50 and Vietnam Veterans Against The War, Perry, Michigan. His poetry has appeared often on the Internet "GI Special". Dennis was invited to read some of his poems at a meeting of Iraqi Veterans Against the War last year in New York City.

Just the other day I had started a (still unfinished) blog post titled, "Every President Has His War" resulting from my frustration over President Obama's pursuit of military escalation in Afghanistan. I was saved from my case of blogger's block with the "gift" of this poem. I'm sharing it here as I want this blog to be a vehicle for other voices (for peace) besides mine, and I want to introduce you to others who you may not otherwise discover. So here is one of Dennis Serdel's most recent poems, Obama's War.

Obama's War

The heart of darkness

goes drones

away from the killing

on a computer screen

eye teeth upon key pads

digital DEATH all capital

letters and the password

is called KILL so war

tortures the people below

like McCain dropping

the bombs on Vietnam

no observation no remorse

no for Christ sake

I killed children old men

families that are gone

with the click of a button

like a trigger no what

have I done steering

the unmanned drones

not one of us gets killed

that way no Special Opts

no Navy Seals dead just

Soldiers without fancy

names wearing caps

stateside like the

Green Berets

as a woman who has

lost all of her family

is rigged up and blows

up and kills two Army

Soldiers four policemen

are wounded she has

fought back the only way

she knows how by

sacrificing her own life

as the war switches over

to Afghanistan Pakistan

in an air war

except for the grunts.

......Dennis Serdel, 2/09

If you were touched by Dennis' poem, he has published a book of poetry by the title, "Peace Speaks From The MIRROR", that you can purchase directly from him. Books are $12 plus $4 for postage and mailer (total cost $16). Make your Money Order or Check payable (and send your order) to Dennis Serdel, 339 Oakwood Lane, Perry, Michigan, 48872. Orders paid by Money Order are sent the next day; Personal Checks after 3 days.

And while you are at it, you can read more poetry by other members of Veterans for Peace by clicking here. You can also learn what Veterans for Peace thinks of the President's Afghanistan plans by reading its February 23rd press release.

Peace,

Leonard