ARMAGEDDON ========== (I) A day like none other. In the bright September sunshine We pay a price beyond belief For being what we are. All is changed, changed utterly But now no terrible beauty is born Only a sadness and ugliness Beyond human description. But as at Calvary, Or in Dachau, Or in the gulags, Or in the abortion mills, Satan laughs and is pleased: His minions on earth Have followed his orders perfectly And will be rewarded. Satan thinks: The battle is well begun. (II) They are men without minds or souls Who lack as yet The capability of killing all of us. So they only kill some of us. And we die in the fire and dust, The broken glass and twisted metal: Those of us who love America And those who do not love it; Those of us born here And those from elsewhere; Those of us who love God And those who are indifferent to Him; Those of us with families and friends And those alone; Brave men and women And cowards. Death, democratic as always, Plays no favorites; Capricious as always, He takes some immediately Lets some escape And lets others, beyond all hope, Cry out begging for his embrace. Satan is pleased: - Sudden death, my friend, My comrade of old, you are always ready To assist me. You have brought fear; passing time Will take away their hope And leave what they call reality. My Kingdom come... Yes, the battle is well begun. (III) ...The soulless ones watch from the dark And rejoice: All has gone according to plan. A long day done They fall into a blissful sleep And dream of a fiery Paradise Where those called enemies Die screaming. Satan is pleased: - These are fine slaves I have chosen Who glorify a god of their own making With holy wars and suicide. The battle is well begun. (IV) Triumphant now, the hidden evil ones cry out: - By this act We have become your prosecutors As well as your judges. There is no presentation of witnesses, No argument, no appeal: It is enough That we call you guilty For the punishment to be just. Satan is pleased: - Fools think these men have a doctrine But they follow no Prophet Worship no God Practice no religion Except mine, the one that teaches The purifying power of hatred. The battle is well begun. (V) Jackal voices dripping with false pity Dare to say to us as we grieve: - Your dead deserved what they got. According to us, there is no innocence: Your society is diseased, corrupted; You must pay our masters in blood To redeem you as only they know how. Satan is pleased: - My world to come Needs more of such as these, Fearless warriors of the intellect Who can look into the depths of human misery And feel only contempt For the sufferers. The battle is well begun. (VI) Out of the darkness The evil ones laugh and tell us: - Pray all you like over your dead Mourn until no tears are left. But remember: Your God demands that you forgive us. Jolly Satan listens well pleased And laughs along with them. (He had almost forgotten That part about forgiveness.) The battle is well begun. - B.Black