The Tehran Conference ~ Wednesday, October 29, 2025

For poetry makes nothing happen: it survives ~ 
"In Memory of W. B. Yeats" ~ W. H. Auden

Forget about our history for change
organizes and makes order from lines
recalled nearly one hundred years ago

problems solved, missions accomplished, derange
occasions for The Complaints Department
egotistical jellyfish lack spines
troublemakers in dark caves that echo
remember "never again" but now, ACT
yes, poetry begs and pleads, but is spent

machinations before the beginning
augment and exacerbate all the lies
kindness can only do so much, winning
everyone knows takes teamwork for the prize
solves the riddle to the question of tact

nothing but diplomacy works in life
only when diplomacy fails, then war
takes place in the aftermath, appeasement
horrible to imagine with such strife
insight is blind, while hindsight comes too late
needless to say, we know now how hard-core
governments of autocrats appear bent

hostile, belligerent, murderous, wild
antagonistic and supremely great
people are bloody ignorant apes: saved
people are bloody ignorant apes: damned
eternity, a metaphor, who caved
no one fesses up to the mess up, clammed

intentionally up, a naughty child
transform the formula as we arrange

symphonies for solo guitar, pure joy
understood as we share release from hate
remember the lives lost for no reason
visions of heinous acts, food made from soy
ingenious, the machine for hate and war
versions of the truth, dub reggae debate
empirical evidence, each season
suggests the machine as society

if memory serves right, what we abhor
no one is still alive to testify

memory is not transmitted, we learn
each day from our mistakes, whom to defy
memory proves true and false, must we spurn
obvious forms behind anxiety
remember history itself repeats
yes, when you hear them marching in the streets

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