Plastic bottles stood in disarray,
A field of soldiers after battle.
Some had lost their child-proof helmets,
Their bodies overturned and empty;
Others were simply abandoned
For those with more potent content.
None alone could deter the enemy,
And, in time,
The whole squadron had limited value.
Chemical warfare was considered,
Then discarded–
The fumes were too noxious
To avoid poisoning the very landscape
It was designed to save.
In the end,
We had to pretend to avert our eyes
As the enemy tanks
Rolled brazenly to the town square,
And the drum ceased its feeble beating,
And the fife was silent.

--10/12/98
In memory of Elizabeth Frederiksen, 1943-1997

Submitted by: Karen Brauer, Butyoudontlooksick.com, © 2007