The killers that run
the other countries
are trying to get us
to overthrow the killers
that run our own
I for one
prefer the rule
of our native killers
I am convinced
the foreign killer
will kill more of us
than the old familiar killer does
Frankly I don’t believe
anyone out there
really wants us to solve
our social problems
I base this all on how I feel
about The Man Next Door
 | |
| In the vicinity of L. Cohen |
get any uglier
Therefore I am a patriot
I don’t like to see
a burning flag
because it excites
the killers on either side
to unfortunate excess
which goes on gaily
quite unchecked
until everyone is dead
- From “The Energy Of Slaves”
 |
| Leonard Cohen double ca. 1979 |
Note the interesting parallel structure in the above poem:
ReplyDelete"The killers ... the killers...
I for one"
Very like Leonard to reveal himself in subtle ways.