After five long years
only the ideal remains
to fight and die for.

Lo Fatal [The Fatal]…English right below each spanish line

Dichoso el árbol, que es apenas sensitivo,

Lucky the tree which is hardly sensitive

y más la piedra dura porque ésa ya no siente,

and even more so the hard stone because it doesn’t feel anything

pues no hay dolor más grande que el dolor de ser vivo

Because there is no greater pain than the pain of being alive

ni mayor pesadumbre que la vida consciente.

nor greater sorrow than concious life

Ser, y no saber nada, y ser sin rumbo cierto,

To be, and not know anything, and to be without true bearing

y el temor de haber sido y un futuro terror…

and the fear of having being and an uncertain future

¡Y el espanto seguro de estar mañana muerto,

and the sure horror of being dead tomorrow

y sufrir por la vida y por la sombra y por

and to suffer for life and for the shadow and for

lo que no conocemos y apenas sospechamos,

that which we don’t know and barely suspect

y la carne que tienta con sus frescos racimos,

and the flesh that tempts us with its luring tentacles

y la tumba que aguarda con sus fúnebres ramos

and the tomb that awaits with its flowery arrangements

y no saber adónde vamos,

and not knowing where we are going

ni de dónde venimos!…

nor from where we came…

aimai

And I hope that you die
And your death’ll come soon
I will follow your casket
In the pale afternoon
And I’ll watch while you’re lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I’ll stand o’er your grave
‘Til I’m sure that you’re dead
-Bob Dylan

He died in that war along with 4081 other Americans all of whom were once someone’s child, father, mother, brother, or sister.

Enjoy your backyard barbeque burgers today gentlemen….

oh yeah, and don’t forget to get mustard

You’ve got
Some “Star-Spangled”
Nails
In your coffin, kid.
That’s what
They’ve done for you,
Son.

-Richard Brautigan

This was written around the time that I served in Vietnam. The pity is that it’s relevant again.