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Collateral Damage by Martha
Rosiles
| The following
poem was written by Martha Rosiles, when she was taking Laura's
English 903 class at West Valley College. 903 focuses on grammar
and sentence structure, but this student's sense of irony, tone,
and poetic power exceeds simple grammatical convention. |
Collateral Damage
Collateral: Adj 1. Associated but of secondary
importance 2. Descended from the same ancestors but
not in the same line; 3. Parallel; 4. Of relating to or being
collateral used as security also secured by collateral.
The Merriam Webster Dictionary 1998 - pg. 103
Why worry about it? The conservatives are on the job.
A loss of a job – Collateral Damage;
Employment benefits depleted – Collateral Damage;
Welfare System overloaded – Collateral Damage;
State losing money – Collateral Damage;
Additional homelessness – Collateral Damage;
Recall of duty – Collateral Damage;
Young men drafted – Collateral Damage;
Soldier’s lives lost – Collateral Damage;
Additional terrorist activity – Collateral Damage;
And loss of liberties – Collateral Damage.
When do these actions become personal? The
conservatives
Are on the job – So please when your man comes
Knocking - open your door.
It is all Collateral Damage!
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