pudgie declared as he sucked on his beer

war is the truth you can watch it from here

a few in the bar saw the truth that he saw

yeah show us the war in all of its gore

now hang on a bit said mick a bit riled

how can you value the life of a child

caught in the fire when he goes down the shop

those pictures on telly must come to a stop

that's what I reckon says mick you can quote

no matter the stations play with their remote

dredging up muck contention and slime

stuffing it in to good telly prime time

what do I say to a small son of mine

about the news at six on channel nine

when bodies go boom and the cameras go zoom

and body parts splatter all over the room

pudge stood up and made his bid

you can't hide in a box and jam on the lid

we have to have a right to watch the news

not censored by the likes of youse

how are you gunna teach a small child

with kindergarten playchool? and a kindly smile?

nah we all need to watch and understand

how lucky we are in our fantasy land

put to a vote as the bar puts each case

on the one hand the world is a terrible place

and our heads may spin but we still want the right

to snap and to show and to watch a good fight

or you can choose to hide from the miserable plight

and think that the world is a disney delight

where the worst that can happen is a gentle debate

between an eastern honest and cuddly western mate

pudgie said comrades put up ya bloody hands!

not for tails in the air and heads in the sands

but for periscopes peering perusing the shore

embedding the vista and culture of war

three more than a dozen had voted for war

and fifteen more drinkers had tied up the score

they gazed at the barman as he sculled a large cider

here's what he said as the final decider

if you show the war in all its gore

till the child knows he sniffed that pungent cloth before

the barman mused as he dug himself deep

you can count back from ten to a chloroform sleep

or else never show a reality a scene

and thus never know the scene that has been

all eyes on the barman.. who wants more cold beer!

I'm both for and against do I make myself clear

so pudge smashed a chair with pre-emptive delight

on a head that belonged to the anti-war fight

skinny mick broke the top off a beer

and pitched it with relish at a warmonger ear

thirty drinkers flailing cutting their losses

workers and fathers and husbands and bosses

one blow to another and that to another

and that to another and that to another

and that to another and that to another

a glimpse of a wife and a flash of dear mother

the children were waiting outside of the pub

and heard the commotion and leaning for love

through windows they watched to their father's vile quote

his peace-loving hands on a peaceful man's throat

get em dad beauty what a break from the boring

he is always so prissy prince charming deploring

in token espousing the faults of the warring

but he banished ignoring...

it makes mock of his scoring

but it's getting so blurry

is it on cd !

configured by humans who can never agree

copyright 2004 bob tatnell

australia's most agreeable poet