Why do the conspiratorial giggles
Of teenage girls at the bookstore
Make me long for machine gun fire
And strong black tea?

And what of all those precious, beloved infants of American inheritance?
Held tighter to their mothers' chests
When they pass me on the street
And I know exactly how far the blood would flow
If I were to grab that tender package...
So unique, so special
Yet the simple mix of zygotes and lustful urges
If I were to grab it by its ankles,
And swing it, head first, into the red brick wall
Beside me,
What of it if I know exactly how far the blood would flow?

Cigarette smoke rises on the breeze from a table of
Affectedly disaffected young women
Black hair dye and nail polish
Cell phones and talk of MySpace communiques

The Smoke Also Rises from the ruins of a minaret
While golden-mocha boys in green Tshirts
Point plastic Klanishnakovs at me and smile

And those damned,
Those God-damned stickers and magnets
Posted so close to car trunks stuffed fat with
Useless, plastic, Holiday crap
Save the bumper stickers for your honor student

I guess a magnetic ribbon..made in China
is the next best thing to actually fighting yourself

Why do Low-impact patriotism
And carefully measured sentiment
Make me hear mortar fire and sirens
And the screams of faceless Marine riflemen?