Mercy alters places the phrase describes;
mercy’s time, wisdom, weariness or loss.
Few escape war as life’s bread and butter —
not Iraq, Sudan or Somalia
Georgia (the nation, or state), Serbia
Bosnia, Vietnam or Tibet
Myanmar or Burma by any name
these United States of America
fhe Falklands or Koreas, Cambodia
Pakistan, Kurdistan, Afghanistan
or any other “Stan,”
boy soldiers, girl, woman or man soldiers
in-surgencies or out-surgencies, terrors
or counter terror — war is a staple.
Isaiah sings a melody by heart;
like him who used the phrase to pray
for people in places
where war is a staple of life.
Now lean towards that Bethlehem stable.
Drones there are worker bees, not sky spies.
Silos hold grain, not war-headed missiles.
There by the stable, peace is a staple.
