Wednesday 6 February 2013

An Iraqi child asks Tony Blair and George Bush: Are you happy now? - Heathcote Williams



An Iraqi child written by Heathcotte Williams
Narration and montage Alan Cox

An Iraqi Child

An Iraqi child
is drawing bombers, like those
Which nearly killed him.

The bombs have left his face
Swollen with fierce injuries-
Marks of angry pain.

He draws the bombers,
Though his arm and some fingers
Are amputated.

Now they're bandaged up,
With three crayons firmly taped
To the ends of his stumps.

He draws, bleak, black lines
Chronichling his fistory.
"Who did this to me?"

"They had many planes.
They'd brought bombs to fit into each
Of their cruel planes."

"Why didn't they think
Of the people below?
Who drove all these planes?"

"One was called George Bush;
And one was called Tony Blair
With his friend, Campbell.

They'd made good friends
With lots of oil companies.
They wanted your oil.

To get into power
They'd made friends with newspapers
Who all said, "Yes, bomb Iraq'.

Rupert Murdoch, boss
Of News International,
Told a hundred and twenty

Of his newspapers
To write a leader
Urging reader's to support war.

No one was immune:
Even the Guardian
(Financed by Auto Trader).

Was saying 'Bomb!'
Claiming that Gulf Wars
Were humanitarian'  'wars'''.

"The simple cause",
Wrote the Guardian
In a pre-Iraq-war leader,

"At the end, is just."
And with the magic word,
'Humanitarian', cunning PR

Could make the liberal media
Mouth-pieces for war propoganda.
There  was a lifestyle

To be supported by Iraq's cheap oil,
So opinion formers in wine-bars and clubs
And in Parliamentary tea-rooms

And in TV studios' hospitality suites-
While not discussing their expenses
Or their mortgages and their fees

Or their cars or their lifestyles
Or their favourite restaurants
Or their children's private schools-

Would dip a toe in the zeitgest
And then bloviate
About regime change,

Like self-important sheep
Housing wolves
'I mean, obviously

"Well, they're all very rich."
"Maybe they'd buy my drawing?"
The boy says.

Thanks to below
for this one
http://www.stopwar.org.uk/

No comments:

Post a Comment