Anti-War Haiku Wall

april 16, 2003

bush at boeing with his 2004 vote-for-me smile

president's speech
each time he says
liberty
I see the boy
without arms

Cindy

thorns of roses
for the crown
of the man on the cross
petals
for the banquet
of the winner

Moussia - Roma

RAMADAN KAREEM

Under this Moon
that belongs to Islam,
we get ready to kill.
She's made little pistachio cakes
in her quiet home, in Baghdad.
We'll kill her soon
under this Moon
that belongs to Islam.
We'll kill her soon,
in her quiet home in Baghdad.

John de Prey

when wars,
from so much horrors spilled over
lands thirsting not for blood,
f i n a l l y d o e s
k i l l f e a r
+ + + + +
+ + +
+ + +
+ + + + +
then Peace,
Phoenix rising
and eye in the middle
of the storms, at last.... for ever
will shine

sprite (UK)

TO THE SNIPER

Who are you -
with dreadful precision
drawing the roses of blood
on the temples of people
whom you have never known,
never loved and never hated?

Who are you -
with blood stained brush
crossing over hopes and plans,
with icy fingers
snuffing out love
and children's laughter

Who are you,
acting God,
being more rejected
than any other being?
The hopeless emptiness
in your soul
is hell!

STONE

Even a stone may be hurt
if there are stains of blood on it,
if youth has been buried under it,
if it is being softened by heavy tears,
if it lies under ashes of a burned home.

Even a stone may be hurt
because it is stone, not a man.

Silva Mizerit (Slovenia)

Cinquains

Yiskor

I burn
with shame, avert
my eyes, forced to witness
the triumph of brutality--
this hell.

Hatred
begets hatred
and blood sheds blood-- rust red.
Palestinian and Jew, joined
at last.

Who mourns
this death with me?
Will you recite Kaddish? Cover mirrors? Rend your garments
in grief?

Tell me
again how peace
will flower, fertilized
with the bodies of all those dead.
Tell me.

(previously published in Gunpowder River Poetry, vol 1, no 1 (online--now out of 'print') and Word Haiku Review, summer 2002)

Pax Americana
We seek
some separate peace,
as if we stand exempt
outside and disconnected from
ourselves.

Lisa Janice Cohen (USA)

when we can no longer perceive
that we are all part of One Body
then we relapse to weaponry
and amputate ourselves, life-by-life,
through means of terror and war

Justin Cannon (USA)

he follows
my eyes
reading
numbers
on his arm
knowing ...
I know

He was infront of me, at a supper market. His eyes have seen death, dark, glistening, watching my eyes, looking at his serial number ... I had to turn away.

H. Gene Murtha (USA)