Cudgel
.........Like Afghanistan,
our psychic moonscape
is hostile turf
Are all expository creations
a mindless indulgence
in this sudden age of peril,
luxuries we can shed
like decorative articles
or preening adjectives?
My friend,
we are trapped
in the uninvited territory
of verbs and objects,
missiles and targets,
simple declarative thoughts,
irreversible actions,
unencumbered by nuance
or exploration,
our lives punctuated
by fiery explosions,
the background illumination
of every paragraph,
by inhalational anthrax,
the spectral postmark
that disseminates our fear
and by barbarians in our midst,
hidden grammatical infidels
who destroy the logic
of every sentence,
written or uttered.
…………………….CJLanger……..10/13/01,