Poem of MN 35W bridge collapse and Iraq

[annm4peace]

Katrina read her poem at the National Lawyer's Guild picnic for progressive groups who are fighting the good fight in the twin cities. She graciously allowed me to post her poem here. She is a very gift written and hard core activist in the Twin cities. If you come to the the Twin cities for the RNC convention next year I'm sure you will run into her work. Her articles make it into several progressive online newspapers in MN.


Break Away
by Katrina Plotz (written August 15-17, 2007)



August 1, 2007
vehicles slowed by endless construction
on the surface of a highway
raised above a river
under weight of neglect
the foundation starts to shiver…
and shake
brake lights came too late
no escape in the wake of a man-made earthquake

Now a frantic search and rescue
for anyone alive
witnesses disbelieve
the scene before their eyes
victims whisper their goodbyes
camera flashes light the sky
sighs of relief
still beg the question
Why?

Same day, far away
near the Tigris and Euphrates
explosions detonate
among panic-stricken faces
sidewalks crack
bridges collapse
lungs trapped beneath concrete
heave and breathe their last

No one rushes to the rescue
on streets plagued with danger
no savior for a people
occupied by strangers
no relief in their sighs
just grief in their eyes
no surprise
just anger
as they fight for their lives

Back in the states
leaders struggle to explain
shake hands and shrug shoulders
but refuse to take blame
“Bridges in America
aren’t supposed to fall,”
were the words of a lawmaker
laced with shock and awe



For war and occupation
they allocate billions
poor priorities are killing
infrastructure and civilians

After four years of war
what lessons have we learned?
can we salvage any pieces
of the bridges we have burned?

In the aftermath of tragedy
we can’t reverse the damage
but the bandage of denial
doesn’t serve as an advantage

We can’t
force our will
with perpetual war
we can’t fix
what is broken
by breaking it more
we can’t claim
to be humane
while delaying an end
to a brutal occupation
can we honestly pretend
to value security
with overpasses crumbling
to celebrate democracy
with apathy abundant?

“Wait and see”
is not the strategy we need
procrastination
won’t change the nation
we need money for human needs
not for guns
we can’t afford to fund wars
for corporate thugs
we can’t cross this bridge
when the time comes

The time is NOW
To make each other proud
From the streets yell it loud
Bring the troops home now!