February 27th
we are watching the war on television
as if it were a show
baby faces crying
parents brothers sisters dying
starving
we are watching while we fork through
gourmet dinners
that we learned to cook
from chef shows
or we can’t eat
cos we really must
get thinner
fit enough to squeeze into our
yoga pants
and food manna like HelloFresh
parachutes from heaven
and thousands surge
beneath the drop zone
like so many ants
we are watching for a second
before the next news item
serial rapist
smart suited with attaché case
and lawyer with a trolley
we are reaching for another beer
while headscarfed grandmas wail
with fear
we are reaching for another wine
another bong
another line
and sirens whine on distant shores
because there is nowhere to go
and ambulances ramp in vain
and all the medics are flat out
and men rush in all bloody
clutching children
screaming murder
to die alone
and unassisted
in windy corridors
of grief
from which there’s no escape
from annihilation
cultural isolation
we are watching wars on television
like we might’ve watched the camps
The Crusades
El Salvador
or the Reign of Terror
or Pol Pot
and we do not have a lot of time to spare
before the weather
which we really need to see
because the sea is at our doorstep
like the homeless
with no place else to go
and the sun is raining down
like brimstone
like punishment
for inattention
and fires are raging
in the forest
islands slip beneath the surface
species disappearing
like our conscience
we are watching wars on television
and we do not feel a thing
we are helpless
we are useless
we have seen it all before
and we will see it all again
if we get lucky
on repeat
The Cruel Sea
Dambusters and
Saving Private Ryan
Combat and
Napoleon
Sophies Choice
Apocalypso Now
we love them all
that Marty that Coppola
Steven Spielberg
Bigelow and Nolan
they make it look so pretty
and the soundtrack
nothing better
download now to listen later
while you bathe the kids
and chop the vegies
before the news at seven
and we are watching war on television
with all the trigger warnings
of the blood
and of the death
the madness
and the suffering
gunshots
tanks
oh thanks
for that kind heads-up
I thought the news was all just
puppies, pussies and the King of Moomba
no
we are watching war on television
hand-held cameras body cam
are rushing with the snipers
so we do not miss a shot
we will catch it live and hot
and one year later at
the Logies
we will marvel at
the braveness
of the film crews
in the hard hats
bullet-proofed reporters
who brought us all the pictures
so we can
watch the war on television
in between
the fast food ads
and plugs for
skincare
gambling
cars and trainers
and some structure
for your hair
over there
in distant lands
they are huddled
round the dumpster
and the 40gallon drum
freezing boiling
in tent cities
crying mourning
keening softly
more’s the pity
while bombs
explode and
cities crumble
lives are shattered
nothing matters
we are watching
from safe distance
in our loungerooms
on recliners
watching the war on television
before it’s time for
Grand Designs.