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Jewish World Review
Dec. 14, 2005
/ 13 Kislev, 5766
Poetic justice and Saddam
By
David Grimes
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
I read in the paper that Saddam Hussein keeps himself busy during his murder trial in Baghdad by composing verse.
I have never been yanked out of a spider hole by heavily armed troops and put on trial for slaughtering 140 villagers, so I cannot say what I would do to occupy my time while prosecutors drone on about genocide, poison gas, torture cells, etc., etc., but I rather doubt that writing poetry would be high on my list.
Fainting, hysterical crying, groveling for mercy ... I think that would be more my style. (Keep in mind that we are talking about a person whose lip quivers when his wife scolds him for forgetting to take out the trash.)
So I was interested to learn exactly what kind of poetry Saddam was able to summon during his time in court. Here it is:
Iraq's "mountains, wilderness and plains will be our witness. ... We help the weak, but when we strike, we strike the elite."
Oh-kaay ...
I am not a licensed poetry critic per se, but I don't think Maya Angelou has to worry anytime soon about her books being swept off the shelves in order to make room for Saddam's lilting wordplay. As poets go, Saddam is a terrific dictator.
If Saddam wants to pass the time in court by writing poetry, I suggest that he work within a more formal structure, like the Japanese haiku. The simple three-line poems of five syllables, seven syllables and five syllables offer plenty of room for creativity while also leaving part of his brain free to memorize the names of his tormentors.
To help Saddam get started, I came up with a few haikus of my own:
Do I look guilty?
Murder is such a harsh word.
May I go play now?
Electricity,
When applied creatively,
Yields many answers.
As if the capture
Were not degrading enough.
Oh, dreaded head lice!
All this war over
Weapons of mass destruction.
So, found any yet?
Let's talk about jails.
Yours seem no better than mine!
Maybe it's the heat ...
Whatever happened
To food for oil? It was such
A sweet arrangement.
This court is a sham!
George Bush is the one to blame!
All I need is love ...
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor David Grimes is a columnist for The Sarasota Herald Tribune. Comment by clicking here.
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