If you would sing a battle song
to rally troops, to right what’s wrong,
be sure to check it in advance,
lest those mute puppets that will dance
mistake your good intentions.
It must bring heat, you will agree,
and indicate what infamy
you seek to topple from its throne,
but take care what you bring to boil:
you may need fire prevention.
The army of rebellious souls
you would attract to swell your rolls –
are they just parroting your lines,
or have they sought, with their own minds,
the remedy you mention?
What will you feed them, once the song
has ended, and for just how long
do you think they will sing out loud
once casualties have thinned the crowd?
Will you keep their attention?
The crowd is fickle, after all,
and once the summer turns to fall,
how will you keep those fires lit?
Will those who sing now stick to it,
or succumb under tension?
We need the song, there is no doubt,
and voices who will belt it out
with sense and comprehension.
29 APR 2025