THE AMERICAN FLAG OF DEATH
painting © by Claudia Chapline
In a dream, I’m standing on a ladder painting a large (American) flag. When I awoke the next day, I sketched the flag in my journal and then I made a small painting from the drawing/dream. The stars resemble exploding bombs, the stripes, missiles. A skeleton’s head emerges from the war machinery.
For me, the flag painting symbolizes the discrepancy between American ideals and manifest American policy.
March 11, 2006*
Claudia Chapline
Artist, activist, Gallery owner
Stinson Beach, California
* Around the time of the dream, marking the third anniversary of the U.S. bombing of Iraq, the U.S. invasion and occupation had killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqis.
~~~~~~~~~
THE PEACE POETRY OF CLAUDIA CHAPLINE
March Wind in February
Roaring dark branches crash against the house
weather strips whistle wind songs sunbrellas
flap white caps yellow chairs in the lagoon
pine trees wave hello crane pulleys sway overhead
aluminum thoughts plastic words fly in and out
say goodbye dreams fragment gates open
between sleep and waking I wheel out and in
outside a feral cat cries
elsewhere a flag shreds the far groaning
screams in a wind of fire I see it a flag of
death red stripes of blood dripping on the
white ribs of civilizations the stars fiery
sparks from bombs bursting in the blue black
night of lands destroyed in this wind of war
but here now in Eastcoot Creek wild salmon
still spawn between the willows
here the camp the captain time being what
not forever spilling seeds of life in silver mist.
October 10, 2001
On the anniversary of my mother¹s death
the United States is bombing Afghanistan
they are bombing Afghanistan
to rid the world of evil
To rid the world of evil
the U.S. military
is killing Afghan civilians.
food drops onto landmines.
my tears are falling
on the anniversary of
my mother¹s death.
it is Arts Day in California.
How They Strut
High mucky mucks decorate each other
with ribboned medals of valor for service
in the war of their making
women of the world
raise your voices against their wars
I see the goddess Kali dancing with them her
dance of death she wears a necklace of skulls
she holds a bloody head in her left hand a
burnt child in the other
women of the world remove your rings
that sparkle with African tears
how they strut those high mucky mucks
preserving freedom to kill for oil
women of the world join hands
in a circle of love
how they strut smiling those
greedy killers patting each other¹s backs
walk together toward a necklace of peace
women of the world
how they strut those old men with pendulous bellies
while their young civil servants sons of other fathers
fall and die in their War on Iraq
how they strut while the world cries
for the voices of women
the voices of love.
If
For Kay Ryan, U.S.A. Poet Laureate
If I were Poet Laureate of the USA
I would send a Poetry Plane to Afghanistan
dropping food and poetry on hungry citizens
apples of love and also oranges falling
into mothers¹ baskets sonnets and villanelles
flying books by Dickinson and Frost as
well as primers for the little ones
If I were Poet Laureate of the USA
I would encourage the Secretary of Defense
to drop books instead of bombs
Operation Book Drop would make friends
and cut costs
If I were Poet Laureate of the USA
I would ask Homeland Security to send
Armies of Teachers and Builders of Schools
so all children everywhere could learn
to read and write
since war doesn¹t work
shouldn¹t we try education?
Claudia Chapline
www.cchapline.com
Claudia Chapline © 2009
April 12th, 2010 at 2:56 pm
Iraq War Facts, Results & Statistics at March 10, 2010
4,386 US Soldiers Killed, 31,716 Seriously Wounded
U.S. SPENDING IN IRAQ
Spent & Approved War-Spending – About $900 billion of US taxpayers’ funds spent or approved for spending through Sept 2010.
Journalists killed by US Forces – 14
Iraqi Police and Soldiers Killed – 9,411
Iraqi Civilians Killed, Estimated – A UN issued report dated Sept 20, 2006 stating that Iraqi civilian casualties have been significantly under-reported. Casualties are reported at 50,000 to over 100,000, but may be much higher. Some informed estimates place Iraqi civilian casualities at over 600,000.
For more on the human and financial toll of the U. S. invasion and occupation of Iraq on the 7th anniversary of Shock and Awe:
http://usliberals.about.com/od/homelandsecurit1/a/IraqNumbers.htm
April 14th, 2010 at 1:19 pm
Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens For Legitimate Government
03 Apr 2010
http://www.legitgov.org
All links are here:
http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news
Former IAEA chief: Iraq war killed “a million innocent civilians” By Patrick Martin 03 Apr 2010 The former head of the UN’s chief nuclear agency, Mohammed ElBaradei, said in an interview with the British newspaper Guardian Wednesday that those who launched the war in Iraq were responsible for killing a million innocent people and could be held accountable under international law. He was clearly referring to US President [sic] George Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and their top military and security aides.
April 16th, 2010 at 1:16 pm
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