In honor of the protests Oct. 27 . . .

Tomorrow in 11 cities across the country, protests and marches to end the war in Iraq will be held. Living in the boondocks, I won't be near enough to attend one. But I'll be thinking about all the marchers, and my heart will be with them.

For to quote the great Molly Ivins in her final column, "Every single day, every single one of us needs to step outside and take some action to help stop this war. Raise hell. Think of something to make the ridiculous look ridiculous. Make our troops know we're for them, and that's why we're trying to get them out of there. Hit the streets. Bang pots and pans. Demand, 'Stop it, now!'"

Here's my contribution for today.

Complacent Citizens – 2007

(After Max Ehrmann)

Complacent citizens, apathetically silent,
speaking not to question power;
following blindly like lemmings.
You mourn the lost lives
of our soldier sons and daughters,
but will not stand to shield them.

Complacent citizens, apathetically silent,
how many more lives and limbs lost
before you move to protest
the death and destruction
of this unjust and vengeful war?

Is there in your heart no love for others,
no respect for life, and no concern for country
that you will demand an end to this war?
Complacent drones or ignorant automatons,
I exhort you to act; urge movement
to stop this bloody conflict now!