Poetry
Cruelty and Conquest
I.
The United States has no
quarrel with the Iraqi people; they’ve suffered too
long in silent
captivity. Liberty for
the Iraqi people is
a great moral cause, and a great strategic
goal. The people
of Iraq deserve
it; the security of
all nations requires it. Free societies do not
intimidate through cruelty
and conquest, and
open societies do not
threaten the world with mass murder. The United
States supports political
and economic liberty
in a unified Iraq.
(George Bush to the United Nations, September 2002)
II.
The United States has no
quarrel oil the Iraqi people; they’ve suffered too
oil in silent
captivity. Liberty for
the oil people is
a great moral cause, oil a great strategic
goal. The people
oil Iraq deserve
it; the security of
oil nations requires it. Free societies do oil
intimidate through cruelty
and conquest, and
oil societies do not
threaten the world oil mass murder. The United
States supports oil
and economic liberty
in a unified oil.
III. 6
The United States has no
oil oil the Iraqi people; they’ve oil too
oil in silent
captivity. Oil for
the oil people is
oil great moral cause, oil a oil strategic
goal. The people
oil oil deserve
it; the security of
oil nations requires it. Free societies oil oil
intimidate through cruelty
and oil, and
oil societies do not
oil the world oil mass murder. Oil United
States supports oil
and oil liberty
in a unified oil.
IV. 5
The United States oil no
oil oil the oil people; they’ve oil too
oil in silent
captivity. Oil oil
the oil people is
oil great moral cause, oil oil oil strategic
goal. The oil
oil oil deserve
it; oil security of
oil nations oil it. Free societies oil oil
intimidate through cruelty
and oil, and
oil societies do oil
oil the world oil oil murder. Oil United
States oil oil
and oil liberty
oil a unified oil.
V. 4
Oil United States oil oil
oil oil the oil people; they’ve oil oil
oil in silent
oil. Oil oil
the oil people is
oil oil moral cause, oil oil oil strategic
goal. oil oil
oil oil oil
it; oil security of
oil nations oil oil. Free societies oil oil
intimidate through cruelty
oil oil, and
oil oil do oil
oil oil world oil oil oil. Oil United
States oil oil
and oil oil
oil a unified oil.
VI. 3
Oil United Oil oil oil
oil oil the oil people; they’ve oil oil
oil oil silent
oil. Oil oil
the oil people is
oil oil moral oil, oil oil oil strategic
goal. oil oil
oil oil oil
it; oil security of
oil nations oil oil. Free societies oil oil
intimidate oil cruelty
oil oil, and
oil oil do oil
oil oil world oil oil oil. Oil United
States oil oil
and oil oil
oil oil unified oil.
VII. 2
Oil Oil Oil oil oil
oil oil oil oil oil; they’ve oil oil
oil oil oil
oil. Oil oil
the oil oil is
oil oil oil oil, oil oil oil strategic
oil. oil oil
oil oil oil
oil; oil oil of
oil nations oil oil. Oil societies oil oil
oil oil oil
oil oil, and
oil oil oil oil
oil oil oil oil oil oil. Oil United
Oil oil oil
and oil oil
oil oil oil oil.
This poem was generated using an Oulipo technique re-introduced by Juliana Spahr in the anthology 100 Days edited by Andrea Brady and Keston Sutherland (Barque, 2001). The technique involves counting and eliminating certain words based on chance. I eliminated every seventh word in stanza #2, every sixth word in stanza #3, until the end of the poem when every other word was eliminated.
Contributor
Kristin PrevalletKristin Prevallet is the author of Scratch Sides: Poetry, Documentation and Image-Text Projects. She lives in Greenpoint. The Catalogue of Lost Glimpses is a Poetry As Public Art Project (PIPA) which is in-process.
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