"Niemand hat die Absicht, eine Mauer zu errichten!" ("Nobody intends to put up a wall!")
- Walter Ulbricht, Leader of the GDR, June 15th 1961 - 2 months before the Berlin Wall was built)
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the war was two-sided, as these things always are
civilizations now divided in their minds and hearts
a single pebble brought the level of this trouble to a needless high
and a single pebble's what remains after their civility died
his name was Hassan, etymologically pious and good
but his biological bias made him psychologically shook
the culture of the cradle sees things in an objective tone
and Hassan's magnanimous nature made him unfit for home
a pilgrimage to Mecca helped him understand this better
and soon Hassan became a leader to the slums and beggars
he praised Allah, emphatic, "shouldn't we defend his call?"
but Hassan, now pragmatic, couldn't see the impending fall
proud of his dirt, Hassan consumed himself in his work
cleansing the coffers of corruption by usurping their clerks
and as ringing rounds of revolution bubbled up from below
a single pebbled rolled along, admiring the show
the antagonist, alone, answered anemically to "Ali"
a noble nomenclature he found repugnant, unsuited for he
who climbed the caste ladder from the lowest of rungs
to become the next Apollo, likewise, too close to sun
Ali ruled the city proper as well as all there was beneath
the former he was proud of, but the latter made him seethe
his rule was divine, chosen, bred, delivered by signs
and damned if there's a peasant planning to question his line
Ali sipped the wine in his chalice carefully, debated the facts
invited Hassan to the palace, cleverly, under the guise of a pact
and as the seeds of sinister thoughts embedded themselves in the soil
a single pebble pedaled along, abetting itself to the spoils
needless to say the city changed forever that day
the day that found Hassan's endeavor ended with exponential decay
desiccated, drawn, quartered, and put on display
for rebels, scum, and beggars who dared to follow his ways
Ali remained incredulous, insisting this issue delved itself deeper
bemoaning benevolence and perturbed by prevalence, he cut city rations to meager
plague and pestilence were ignored, Ali supercilious, sure
pleading on his precipice door, he saw them all as ignominious whores
and as the tension grew to uncontrollable levels from the plight of the poor
a single pebble was picked up, pitched, and started a war
we watched it all from here, my family and i
built amidst the starting struggle as a dividing line
i started as a pebble before that shot was focused
and so i am again since that shot's been posted.
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