Why He Said It

By Don Krieger

He knew what he was getting into
                 — US President during a bereavement phone call

Telling a dead soldier: You knew what you were getting into
is simply saying: Don’t blame me.
It’s cowardly, which is why our president said it.

Telling the soldier’s family: He knew what he was getting into
is more nuanced.
It still says: Don’t blame me,
a coward’s statement
which is why our president said it.

It also says: Blame your son for your sorrow,
a brutal statement
which is why our president said it.

It also says: Though this is a bereavement call,
I offer you my excuse from responsibility as your son’s Commander in Chief
and a brutal sentiment to add to your grief,
an incompetent and vicious statement
which is why our president said it.

Don’s  poetry has appeared in Tuck Magazine and Uppagus, VerseWrights, Neurology, and in English and Farsi in Persian Sugar in English Tea.

Image credit: Morning Calm Weekly Newspaper via a Creative Commons license.

“Why He Said it” previously appeared in Tuck Magazine.