Phony War
A satirical political poem questioning the contradictions of the war on drugs. Against the backdrop of three deaths linked to contaminated heroin, the poem contrasts the criminalisation of some substances with the legal availability of alcohol, tobacco and everyday medicines, asking who decides which drugs are acceptable and why.
Another three dead addicts
From contaminated heroin.
Police arrest a dealer &
Begin investigating. They
Warn druggies who feel unwell
Seek immediate medical attention.
There’s something in my pothead
I cannot understand.
I can stroll into my local store,
Buy ten bottles of Captain Morgan,
200 cigarettes,
& packets of Ibuprofen.
Get lost in a haze of smoke & pills,
Then drink myself to death.
Depression & alcohol poisoning
States my death certificate.
Colombian President Petro said,
“Cocaine is only illegal because
It is made in Latin America –
Not because it’s worse than whisky.”
A chief cleric in Helmand, Afghanistan
Raised his eyebrow,
Stroked his oily beard,
& partially agreed.
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