The Aerial Message from Nevada 3-22-2009
The video warrior arrives at an early hour
Ready for a grueling day beside his computer tower
For he’s the pilot of a General Atomics Predator Drone
Ready to send a missile into someone’s home
Firmly planted behind the flat screen monitor
From a hidden bunker in Nevada he can scan
The ground for child, woman or man.
Then with a push of a button he can
Annihilate before him according to plan
By launching a rocket of immense power and lethality–
Never mind the flagrant lack of morality.
B52s in Viet Nam unleashed bombs from 36,000 feet.
But the kid in Nevada has got this beat
He kills his victims from the other side of the world.
And keeps safe the “heimat” with flag unfurled
And of course his high value targets are never in error
And he always delivers their deserved terror
But when the intelligence is wrong
He must be stoic and strong and play along
That there is no collateral damage
For denial is an emotional advantage
No his conscience is clear
Ah, but that is just the point –I fear
For conscience is what is lacking here
And this ghastly deed has the feel
Of an impersonal game; the victims unreal.
So what does he say on arriving home to his wife?
That he had spent a day in continuous strife?
And what does he to his kids cheerfully say
When they ask “Daddy” what did you do today?
Howard P. Charman, MD 3-24-2009 and 3-24-2012