Apology to Afghan Women

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AFGHANISTAN

Apology to Afghan Women

 

Is it better to have known freedom

And to have it taken from you

That to never know freedom at all?

 

Once upon a time we made a promise

We never intended to keep

We promised to give you liberty

A great and storied leap

 

But we did not keep that promise

And for that we apologize

 

Once upon a time we told the world

It was all about freedom and equality

The right to vote

The right to work

The right to speak freely

The right to an education

The right to worship as one pleases

 

We did not tell the truth

We fought for many reasons

But these were not among them

 

We fought for strategic advantage

We fought for an oil pipeline

We fought to prove to the world

That we were the baddest warriors

On the face of the earth

We fought for revenge

We fought for blood

 

We dropped our bombs and then forgot

We moved on to Iraq

 

We know now as our leaders knew then

It was a war we could not win

 

For that we must apologize