Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Across the Pond - Afghanistan Tragedy

excerpted from an
Article first published as How Do You Solve a Problem Like Afghanistan? on Technorati.

 [Photo-Image: Sgt. Robert Bales, Pentagon's  'lone suspect' in March 11, 2012, Afghan massacre in Kandahar Province]


  
I've been feeling hesitant to rhyme the awful news.
Wasn't really certain the direction of my views.
Clearly it's a tragedy; no less for Sergeant Bales...
But - for the Afghanis -  the imagination fails.

When the news was first released, I thought that we should leave.
Give that broken nation time and space they need to grieve.
Thought that we should find the exits, grab our stuff, and run.

Now, I'm not as sure as once I was that we should go.
We've made lots of promises to women there, you know.
If we simply stampede for the exits they are screwed.
(Sorry for the language here.  I'm usually not lewd.)

Too much blood and honor gone to only cut and run.
Think we have to stay until some guarantee is won
That the price so many paid was worth the dreadful cost
('though I can't see how we will regain the ground we've lost).

We will stay until, somehow, our soldiers can arrange
For the local forces to attain some competence...
It's not looking awfully good right now, though. Very tense.

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