War Poems For National Poetry Month: David Kreiger, Greeting Bush In Baghdad

Greeting Bush in Baghdad by David Krieger

“This is a farewell kiss, you dog.”
— Muntader al-Zaidi

You are a guest in my country, unwanted
surely, but still a guest.

You stand before us waiting for praise,
but how can we praise you?

You come after your planes have rained
death on our cities.

Your soldiers broke down our doors,
humiliated our men, disgraced our women.

We are not a frontier town and you are not
our marshal.

You are a torturer.  We know you force water
down the throats of our prisoners.

We have seen the pictures of our naked prisoners
threatened by your snarling dogs.

You are a maker of widows and orphans,
a most unwelcome guest.

I have only this for you, my left shoe that I hurl
at your lost and smirking face,

and my right shoe that I throw at your face
of no remorse.

Why a “War Poem?”  It’s a long month–this is just the first ‘theme’ in celebration of National Poetry Month, but here’s the explanation:

https://oldroadapples.wordpress.com/2014/04/01/war-poems-for-national-poetry-month-wilfred-owen-dulce-et-decorum-est/