Sthephan G. Stephansson Poetry

WHEN I WAS AN EDITOR

So maudlin, with pity and pathos I stood
If someone who erred got the lashes;
If hanged, I'd weep over the ashes.
With vocal dispraise such injustice I viewed.
But somehow as soon as the war-craze ensued,
When slaughter en masse was the popular mood
And corpses all over the planet were strewed,
With dumb indecision I stood.

For there was the problem of friendships and food
— One's sympathies nobody cashes.

To dampen my conscience-clashes
The cracks in my honor I artfully glued
With unctuous lies that I hastily brewed
— And cheered just as loud as I could.

Translated by Paul Bjarnason



Home Page | Links | Contact Us | Top Page

Home Page - Stephan G. Stephansson

© www.StephanGStephansson.com