Syrian massacre

I saw
someone wrote a book of poems
about the Nanjing massacre

I did not see
anyone writing a book of poems
about the Syrian massacre

Nanjing was terrible
so many people died
so long ago

Syria is terrible
so many people are dying
every day

Nanjing had good guys and bad guys
the terrible Japanese
the harmless Chinese victims

Syria has bad guys and bad guys
some we think are terrible
others we dislike a little less

Nanjing was hard so long ago
Asian people killing Asian people
and the West did nothing

Syria is hard today
Syrians killing Syrians
and the West is doing nothing

So tied in knots
about the people we don't like
Russia and China blocking

harmless Chinese victims

I will not write a book of poems
about the Syrian massacre
but this is what I can do

Remind us there are no good guys
but no bad guys either
only people thinking that

killing is the best way

young people killing
older people giving orders
each one trying to win and survive

there has to be a better way
if only I knew
what it was