After the imperialist invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, some groups of peace activists set up grim reminders of their toll. In Long Beach, California, pairs of boots were put out once a week with names on them to remember soldiers who had been killed for the empire. In Santa Monica, crosses were stuck in the sand. If only these displays were enough to stop the bloodletting. No, it will take the replacement of the predatory, ruinous capitalist system, through mass struggle.
Row after row, can they convey
The human toll that grows every day?
Each empty pair has a tag with a name,
Silent witness to our shame,
Boots on the grass, crosses in the sand,
For soldiers slain in a far-off land,
Sent off to war they didn’t understand,
Boots on the grass, crosses in the sand.
For every pair, a dozen more
Survivors shattered and maimed by the war,
Who spend each night wondering
When they’ll ever sleep soundly again.
Boots on the grass, crosses in the sand,
To the crippled who carry the brand,
The ruling class gives the back of its hand,
Boots on the grass, crosses in the sand.
Is there a crescent to honor the life
Of each civilian ensnared in the strife?
Battered, bombed, caught in between?
To say, “liberation” is truly obscene.
Boots on the grass, crosses in the sand,
Each time we see the numbers expand,
We know the reason we must take a stand,
Boots on the grass, crosses in the sand.
The human toll that grows every day?
Each empty pair has a tag with a name,
Silent witness to our shame,
Boots on the grass, crosses in the sand,
For soldiers slain in a far-off land,
Sent off to war they didn’t understand,
Boots on the grass, crosses in the sand.
For every pair, a dozen more
Survivors shattered and maimed by the war,
Who spend each night wondering
When they’ll ever sleep soundly again.
Boots on the grass, crosses in the sand,
To the crippled who carry the brand,
The ruling class gives the back of its hand,
Boots on the grass, crosses in the sand.
Is there a crescent to honor the life
Of each civilian ensnared in the strife?
Battered, bombed, caught in between?
To say, “liberation” is truly obscene.
Boots on the grass, crosses in the sand,
Each time we see the numbers expand,
We know the reason we must take a stand,
Boots on the grass, crosses in the sand.
Contributed by Larry Moore - 2023/6/27 - 02:29
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