Martin H. Levinson Verse-Virtual 2016 August

August 2016

I write poetry because it helps me make sense of the world around and inside me. It piques my interest in the past and prods me to think more about the present and the future. I find the act of writing poetry joyful and self-reinforcing, even when the content of my poems is about sad or traumatic events. Please visit my website: martinlevinson.com.

Deconstructing Terrorism

Al Qaeda has franchises in many parts of
the Mid East and Africa and so does
McDonalds which is not blowing up
Burger King because they believe flamed

grilled beef topped with juicy tomatoes,
fresh cut lettuce, creamy mayonnaise,
ketchup, crunchy pickles and sliced white
onions on a sesame seed bun is not a

whopping threat to a burger revolution that’s
been sweeping the region ever since
cows complained they’d rather chew the
cud than get chewed up by hungry hominids

and false interpretations of deep-seated declarations
that paganism is veganism and there is only one true
chopped steak, a tenet central to the convictions of
most meat enthusiasts and foodie fundamentalists

who know raw is war spelled backwards, longhorns
are portrayed unfairly by the media, one man’s terrorist
is another man’s freedom fighter, and madam I’m
Adam is a silly way to start a conversation at a

cocktail party in the Green Zone where canapés,
small talk and IEDs compete for one's attention.

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